Sergei Stanishev, the president of the Party of European Socialists, wrote today to Jean-Claude Juncker to ask him finally to deliver on his promised ‘social triple A’ for Europe.

Mr Stanishev’s letter calls for the EU’s social pillar to matched by a concrete social action plan to be laid out in the State of the Union address tomorrow.

Mr Stanishev said:

“The Party of European Socialists has long fought for the European Union’s economic freedoms to be matched with personal freedoms and social rights.

“We welcomed Mr Juncker’s promise in 2014 to deliver the ‘social triple-A’ that the citizens of the European Union need and expect. He and I have met several times to discuss progress towards this goal. But more than three years later, at the start of Mr Juncker’s final full year as president, we are still waiting for the Commission to deliver.

“Time is running out. That’s why I am urging him again to lay out a concrete social action plan, including vital measures to fight poverty, promote equality, improve young people’s prospects and ensure that all workers benefit from social protections, even in the digital economy.

“Instead of contemplating a multi-speed Europe to divide us further, we must seek solutions to citizens’ real problems – solutions that work for everyone.”

Read the full text of the letter.