On Wednesday 24 March, Pascal Bolo, President, and Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary, represented SGI Europe at the Tripartite Social Summit, with the participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and António Costa, Portuguese Prime Minister.

Assessing the response to the COVID-19 crisis over the last 12 months, Pascal Bolo welcomed the decisive action undertaken by the EU, such as the creation of the SURE, the activation of the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact and the Next Generation EU, to prevent a complete collapse of our socio-economic model.

President Pascal Bolo also commented:

On the continued need for support: “The economic and social situation is still extremely fragile. We need to ensure that all measures in support of the enterprises, workers and citizens are prolonged for as long as necessary, in particular the short-term working schemes.”

On Next Generation EU and the economic recovery: ”We must also be ambitious in the implementation of the national recovery plans. Those plans must balance new investment and support to reforms focused on the green transition, healthcare, social policy, skills and training, labour markets and territorial cohesion. Social partners can be central actors in defining the priorities. We therefore call on the EU leaders to ensure the proper involvement of social partners in the national plans’ finalisation.”

On the way forward: “Beyond the recovery plans, we also believe that it is time to reflect on the EU economic governance, such as the Stability and Growth Pact. We call for starting an honest reflexion on its upcoming revision, building up on the lessons from the COVID19 crisis, and which should lead to a new Sustainability and Growth Pact.”

During the moderated discussion, General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti presented the contribution of SGIs to the National Recovery Plans across the EU (available here), highlighting the enabling role they can play in the post-COVID-19 welfare state model.

You can find more on SGI Europe messages and priorities on our website: www.sgieurope.org.