The European Commission has published on 22nd July its renew European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan.
The document is more a rewrite of the past framework rather than a full new document that many expected. However, the Commission’s legislation contains several welcome developments. It places greater attention on the cost-of-living crisis, housing and energy poverty, in-work poverty and minimum income adequacy, and proposes a new Quality Jobs Act.
While these are important steps forward, the overall narrative remains largely unchanged.
Social rights continue to be presented primarily through their contribution to competitiveness and economic prosperity. The document draws on the “cost of inaction” and the economic consequences of failing to address social challenges. A Social Europe worthy of its name must make poverty eradication a political choice, grounded in fundamental rights and backed by adequate public investment, rather than treating social policy as an instrument of economic performance.
People experiencing poverty are active rights-holders and social policy must start building up from that premise.
The renewed EPSR Action Plan takes some steps towards strengthening Europe’s social dimension. But for these commitments to translate into lasting change, they need to be backed by binding measures, adequate resources and a clear political commitment to poverty eradication. Our “YES, BUT” analysis looks at where the Communication moves in the right direction and where the key gaps remain.
The new document recognises some of Europe’s most pressing social challenges and puts forward initiatives that could address them, but it doesn’t yet reflect the shift in ambition that a genuinely Social Europe requires.
A Social Europe must make poverty eradication a political choice, grounded in fundamental rights and backed by adequate public investment, rather than treating social policy as an instrument of economic performance.