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Last Friday the European Council made a deal with the United Kingdom on reforms to the country’s membership of the European Union ahead of a referendum on 23 June. Beyond the deal, I am more interested in the emerging pattern regarding social issues; in recent years there has been less and less EU social legislation on the negotiating table. Do the UK-EU negotiations mark the beginning of a trend of undermining pre-existing social rights? If so, this would not only be damaging socially, but economically, too.

The most talked about right at stake because of the UK-EU deal is that of EU workers to access in-work benefits in the UK. Despite the EU’s commitment to freedom of movement and non-discrimination in employment, the deal agreed by the European Council would meant that EU citizens working in the UK will receive less benefits based on their nationality. What worries me the most is that all EU Heads of State have agreed to this infringement of social rights.

This isn’t the first time that Heads of State have shown an unwillingness to improve social rights in the EU; the European Council has previous experience of blocking rules that would promote these rights, including the Equal Treatment Directive and the Maternity Leave Directive.

However, with the UK-EU deal we are now witnessing not just the blocking of social rights, but the revision of them. Unfortunately this attack on existing social rights is not a one off. For example, there is a push to repeal EU laws protecting the health and safety of workers. In the midst of the EU’s social emergency, our leaders are calling for fewer social rights – not more.

The lack of social legislation is not just a problem for those who believe in a Social Europe. It is also endangering our economy. It has been well reported that countries with high social protection systems resisted the economic crisis better than those with the highest levels of inequality, unemployment and poverty. This is why at Social Platform we support strong social standards to ensure not only people’s wellbeing, but also a healthy economy.

As the EU’s economic recovery is far from over it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the important role to be played by social rights. Now is the time to reinforce these rights – not diminish them.

Let’s engage!

Pierre Baussand, Director