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On 8 March the College of Commissioners will adopt its communication on the pillar of social rights “envisaged as a self-standing legal reference document”. The notion of a pillar brings to mind visions of solidity and support for our communal building – the European Union. But how do you get that solidity? In my view, any architect should be concerned about three essential elements of this particular project: the location, the builders and the building materials.

Where will the pillar be built? It seems that there is not much of an agreement on this in the European neighbourhood. The Commissioners will propose that the pillar should be built in the 19 Eurozone countries while remaining open to all EU Member States. I think that some Member States will not welcome a pillar of social rights on their soil! Next week the European Council will likely adopt an agreement with the United Kingdom recognising that the country “is not committed to further political integration”. And the UK is not alone in asking for less Europe. In another part of the neighbourhood, foreign ministers of the six founding Member States want to push the EU forward in a two-speed process. Maybe they will welcome such a pillar. So will the pillar be built in the six founding EU members, the 19 Eurozone countries or all 28 Member States? Considering the social situation across the EU, the pillar should have its foundation in all Member States.

Once this is solved, a solid pillar requires competent builders. For the moment, the pillar’s construction is mainly being led by European finance ministers as part of their aim to deepen the Economic and Monetary Union. I find it interesting that the Eurogroup discussed last Thursday “the efficiency and effectiveness of our public spending on investments, healthcare and ageing”. Since access to health, poverty and social innovation are going to be part of the pillar, and without rejecting input from finance ministers, I think that the right builders for the job are European employment and social affairs ministers, social partners and social civil society organisations.

Finally, a sound structure needs quality building materials. The notion of strength will come from the components themselves. European Commissioner Marianne Thyssen asked her colleagues “not to make assumptions about the final decision concerning the precise nature of the pillar of social rights”, but she thinks that it is more likely to be a recommendation rather than something that obliges Member States to deliver social progress. I think that a strong pillar requires strong commitment and delivery from Member States; otherwise it could be made of fragile elements that could quickly crumble apart.

We have been working a lot with the Commission to ensure that the pillar of social rights is a solid construction. We have three weeks until the communication is published and the pillar presented. Tomorrow we will meet with President Juncker’s Special Adviser for the European Pillar of Social Rights, and we will advocate to make it solid.

Let’s engage!

Pierre Baussand, Director