The PES Social Europe Network chaired by French MEP Pervenche Berès discussed the Commission’s proposal for a European pillar of social rights with the aim to ensure this new initiative will actually balance economic freedoms with social rights in the European Union. The meeting took place in Brussels yesterday afternoon.
Building up towards the Social Summit Prime Minister Stefan Löfven will host in Sweden in the fall of 2017, and willing to contribute to the definition of the pillar from an early stage on, the PES Social Europe Network pointed at the need for the pillar to be given a clearer geographical scope covering all EU Member States and a strong legal force.
During the exchanges, Pervenche Berès stated: “It is not enough for the President of the European Commission to announce a social triple A, the ambition must be matched with measures to achieve this goal. The pillar of social rights could become the tool for this, addressing the question of minimum wage, of freedom of movement, of the funding of social protection and paving the way towards a social progress protocol.”
Stemming from the assessment that the euro areas strongest integration requires stronger social safeguards the Social Europe Network also engaged in a discussion about a future European unemployment benefit insurance. Finally, there was wide agreement on the need to address a growing challenge: the increase of non-standard forms of employment, favored in particular through the platform economy.
Photos of the meeting are available here.
