Today [8 June 2020], Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People, and Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, organised a hearing with the EU social partners on the upcoming Action Plan on the EU Pillar of Social Rights.

Speaking on behalf of CEEP in the opening roundtable, Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary, said:

“CEEP strongly supports the objective of building a resilient, sustainable and fair Union, while fostering upward convergence. In order for the Action Plan on the Pillar of Social Rights to reach that objective, its principle 8 on social dialogue needs to be further developed to ensure that national, regional and local social partners have full ownership of initiatives taken. The Pillar should be less about new EU legislation, but more about fostering national ownership and implementation of its principles via the European Semester.”

“This consultation, and the upcoming ones on the priorities for the Action Plan, are very timely as they will allow to operationalise the principles in a way that fully takes into account the COVID-19 outbreak and its economic and social consequences. For our members, this should translate into full and effective implementation of the principle on access to services: that would be the only way to create coherence between the Action Plan, the revised MFF and the Next Generation EU which identify essential services such as long term care, healthcare and housing as matters of priority for the social dimension.”

“An integrated approach is needed, with policy coherence to mainstream those investments through all stages of the recovery. For this to happen, the Action Plan must be connected to the future national recovery plans to be drafted by Member States in the context of the new Recovery and Resilience Facility. SGIs employers and providers stand ready to support European and national institutions in prioritising those investment needs.”

At this hearing, CEEP delegation included members from the Swedish Association of Local and Regional Authorities (SALAR), the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), the German Vereinigung der kommunalen Arbeitgeberverbände (VKA), the French Union Social pour l’Habitat (USH), the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE) and the European Healthcare and Hospitals’ Employers Association (HOSPEEM).

For further information, please contact:
Maxime STAELENS, Communication Advisor
Email: maxime.staelens@ceep.eu
Tel.: + 32(0) 2 229 21 40
Website: www.ceep.eu
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