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Over the next two days we will be in Luxembourg at our conference on the social dimension of the upcoming EU Presidency. We will be joined by Nicolas Schmit, Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, and representatives of national and European social NGOs. So what can Luxembourg – one of the six founding members of the EU – bring to the debate on greater social cohesion in Europe?

Firstly, Luxembourg is very often quoted as one of the best performing countries in terms of social welfare. It has the highest minimum wage in the EU (€1,923 per month) as well as a very high minimum income scheme of €1,348.18 for a single person and €2,022.27 for a couple. In addition, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that the country performs well in its Better Life Index which assesses the well-being of people living in a country; it ranks above average among OECD countries on income and wealth, civic engagement, jobs and earnings, work-life balance, subjective well-being, health status, environmental quality and housing. It will certainly be interesting for us to discuss with the Minister how the Presidency might look to its national practices to influence debate among the 27 other member states on social issues such as the need for social investment and adequate social protection systems.

I believe that we need a vocal advocate for a strong social dimension to the EU in the European Council, and that Minister Nicholas Schmit could certainly fill this role. As reported to you last week, he believes that for too long “social” has been associated with expenditure rather than investment and that on the contrary, when we invest more in social services, growth is stronger. He shares our belief that the Social Investment Package (SIP) launched by the previous Commission was a great initiative and that it is necessary to link the Commission’s Investment Plan with the SIP.

During the Luxembourg EU Presidency from July-December we at Social Platform will advocate for appropriate legal and financial frameworks to support the development of social economy and social enterprises, and the extremely overdue adoption of the EU Equal Treatment directive to ensure that people cannot be denied access to services such as education and health care based on their religion, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation.

Luxembourg has developed high social standards and has a strong advocate for ambitious social priorities in the EU in Minister Schmit. We will support the Presidency to ensure that Luxembourg can lead by example in the European Council.

Let’s engage!

Pierre Baussand, Director