Whilst the Commission view presented by Steffan Olsson, mainly highlighted the current frameworks, and in particularly the delivery of CSRs in the European Semester, speakers from the ETUC, Social Platform and European Social Insurance Platform, underlined the need to move forward on social standards, and for an EU legal framework or social progress protocol which reinforces a ‘floor of social rights’. EAPN highlighted difficulties with the coherence of the Semester’s approach to social protection, with reduced numbers of social CSRs and priority given to reducing deficits, emphasizing the need to invest in universal systems based on rights, which do not penalize people in poverty through negative conditionalities. More priority should be given to how to adequately finance social protection systems through tax justice. EAPN also highlighted that the discussion on competences should not detract from the fact that the EU already has the competences to develop EU frameworks, for example on minimum income, and that the EESC needs to clarify its ambition.
For more information contact: Sian.Jones@eapn.eu
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