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On the occasion of the EPSCO Council meeting of October 15, 2013 Social Platform and its members call on the ministers for employment and social affairs to ensure the Social Scoreboard, presented last week by the European Commission, triggers action as a necessary requirement to achieve the Social Dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

We call on them to:

1. Request from the Commission to, in addition to the Scoreboard, develop a system that triggers preventative and corrective actions once the social indicators reach a certain value. Without this, there will be no real social dimenison of the EMU achieved.
2. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop, as soon as possible, European Social Standards in view of organising upward social convergence and social progress. These social standards should be taken up in binding European legislation and member states that do not live up to these, should be held accountable.

We also pointed out how good governance of the EMU can only be effective if all relevant stakeholders, including civil society as well as social partners are fully involved.

The social ministers will also make an evaluation of the 2013 European Semester, prior to the publication by the Commission in November of the Annual Growth Survey 2014, being the starting point for the next 2014 Semester. This is why we ask the ministers to call on the European Commission to:

1. Prioritise the achievement of the Europe 2020 poverty, employment and education targets, and ensure macro-economic objectives do not prevent their realisation but enable them;
2. Adapt the European Semester process to effectively deliver on the Europe 2020 headline targets;
3. Commit to true social investment, which is underpinned by adequate social protection, to achieve sustainable and inclusive recovery and growth;
4. Ensure the democratic principle of civil dialogue through meaningful and structured involvement of Civil Society Organisations in European governance and the European Semester process in particular.