Ahead of the European Union’s Social Summit on 7 May, social civil society organsations have gathered with EU and national decision-makers, social partners, and academics to call for Member States to be held accountable for turning their promises on social rights into concrete actions.
The fourth annual ‘Building Social Europe’ Flagship Conference hosted by Social Platform, held virtually on 4-5 May as an official side event of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU, brought together representatives of the European Commission, the Portuguese EU Presidency, the upcoming Slovenian EU Presidency, social partners, and civil society for a high-level panel discussion ahead of Friday’s EU Social Summit. The discussion focused on ‘Time to deliver on social Europe: Maximising the Porto Social Summit to ensure a sustainable and fair recovery and build a Europe that leaves no one behind’. Prior to the panel discussion, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit delivered a video message, where he said:
“We invite the European Council to endorse the Social Pillar Action Plan targets and call on Member States to be ambitious when they define ways to achieve them […] Civil society actors together with social partners should play an important role.”
During the panel discussion on 5 May, Social Platform President Piotr Sadowski presented recommendations to national and EU decision-makers developed the previous day during a series of workshops hosted by Social Platform members, focusing on quality employment, skills and life-long learning, social protection, and the social economy.
Addressing the panel and participants, Piotr Sadowski said:
“In Porto, we will be agreeing and adopting a Social Summit Declaration, which will be a crucial communication from the event; however, we cannot allow that after Porto, Member States hide behind the Declaration and do not deliver on the targets of the European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan.
“The time is now for the EU and Member States to take bold and decisive action, demonstrating to people across Europe that they are fully committed to building a more resilient, socially just, and inclusive Europe that they want.
“The involvement of civil society organisations, with crucial expertise and knowledge of lived realities of people, including those in the most vulnerable situations, as key stakeholders, is vital to ensure the full and ambitious implementation of the Social Pillar and its Action Plan.”
ENDS
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Helen Willetts
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