Brussels, 16 April 2024
BrusselsSpeech by President von der Leyen at the high-level conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights
President Metsola,
Deputy Prime Minister Vandenbroucke,
Deputy Prime Minister Dermagne,
President Röpke, dear Oliver,
Enrico Letta,
Dear Commissioner Schmit, dear Nicolas,
Dear representatives of trade unions and business associations,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
What is it that makes Europe such a unique place to live and work in? It is not only the glory of towns like Ghent or Dinant, the genius of artists like Magritte, or the blossoming beauty of forests like the one that surrounds us. It is also our European way of life. Our fairness and our competitiveness, built on our social market economy and on decades of social dialogue. Europe is unique because of our trade unions, such as the Belgian miners who fought for health and safety at work after the tragedy of Marcinelle. Europe is unique because of enlightened entrepreneurs, such as Ernest Solvay, who already in the 19th century sponsored higher education, and granted unprecedented rights to his workers. Europe is unique because of civil society leaders like Marie Popelin, the first Belgian woman to obtain a law degree, who fought her entire life for women to be admitted to the bar.
Europe as we know it was not built in a day. We are the children of a long history of social progress, convergence, and social dialogue. And we are the children of visionary leaders who put the social dimension at the heart of our Union. Like the late Jacques Delors. And my friend Jean-Claude Juncker, who was the driving force behind the European Pillar of Social Rights. This long history continues today. Here in La Hulpe, we recommit to the foundations of the Pillar: equal opportunities for all, fair working conditions, social protection and inclusion. These are the values of our social market economy. And we must continue to bring them to life.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the start of this mandate, we promised to deliver on the new-born European Pillar of Social Rights. We did not know what lay ahead of us. Two crises of historic proportions. The COVID-19 health crisis and the war in Ukraine, with a ‘made-in-Russia’ energy crisis. They could have turned into a dramatic social crisis. But they did not. This was because of the people of Europe’s great resilience but also because we put the right policies in place. From SURE, which saved millions of jobs at the height of the pandemic to NextGenerationEU and REPowerEU, which fast-tracked the recovery and the deployment of home-grown renewable energy. It is easy to forget a crisis that never was. But I have not forgotten that many predicted mass unemployment in Europe due to the lockdowns. Instead, today we have more people at work than at any other time in European history. More than 75% of Europeans are employed. Close to our goal of 78% by 2030. And how is this possible? Because we have built sound economic policies, with a strong social heart. Our Union must deliver for people and for business.
We have shown that economic growth and social growth can only go hand in hand. And social progress can only be based on economic success, if we want it to be sustainable. At the start of the mandate, we proposed new initiatives in our European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan. And in spite of all the emergencies we have dealt with, we are on track to deliver on each and every one of them by the end of the mandate. We have managed to reach: the Directive on adequate minimum wages; the Child Guarantee, so that all children in need have access to quality education and care; the Women on Boards Directive, after ten years of stalemate; The Val Duchesse declaration, to reinforce social dialogue; and the Platform Work Directive, that protects rights in the digital economy. This is the social market economy in Europe at work.
And this spirit must continue to drive us in these times of transition for our European institutions. It is vital that all parties keep engaging on how to shape the social dimension of our Union. In these two days, you have heard from Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta, on the challenges for our competitiveness and our Single Market. Their reports, together with the Declaration we are about to sign, show us the way for the future. In the five years ahead, we must confirm our Union’s primacy, as the place to live and to do business with a skilled workforce, with innovative companies, with a sustainable energy mix, with rules and rights for artificial intelligence, with opportunities and protections, for people young and old. Because this is what makes our Union unique. This is what makes Europe the continent of our dreams. Business can happen anywhere in the world. Profit can be made everywhere. But where do people want to raise their children? Where there is opportunity for all. Where there is education and culture. Where people can move, study and work, across borders that no longer exist. Where voters and social partners are in the driving seat. Where you are free to shine, and everyone is protected against the great risks of life. This is our social Europe. These are the values we have inherited. And this is the Union we are building together, for the next generation.
Thank you, and long live Europe.
Source – EU Commission
Speech by Commissioner Schmit at the high-level conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights
Brussels, 16 April 2024
Dear Presidents,
dear Prime Minister,
dear Ministers, ladies and gentlemen,
My thanks to the Belgian Presidency for its long-standing commitment to social Europe, and for bringing us to La Hulpe to have this fundamental exchange.
The discussions at La Hulpe show that despite our diversity, there is common ground. We have to work on this common ground, as this is what makes Europe.
I am often asked what I am most proud of, as we approach the end of this mandate.
Of course delivering employment legislation – such as ensuring adequate minimum wages, protecting platform workers, and guaranteeing high standards of health and safety at work – are obviously achievements we can together celebrate.
Delivering on the promise of building a Europe that protects: giving children in need a good start to life; improving long term care systems in the EU, which are ever more under pressure; starting to tackle homelessness by bringing together cities, regions and experts to share best practice.
All the initiatives that have helped put the spotlight on skills and training including in this Year of Skills. One year is not enough by the way – we need at least a decade of skills. These are helping to make the transitions inclusive, and to make the opportunities accessible to all workers.
All the programmes we have funded to support young people who have lost their way, to help them develop their talents and build their confidence.
Preventing the COVID crisis from leading to massive unemployment by quickly creating the SURE instrument.
In essence: turning the principles of the Pillar of Social Rights into real actions, as we pledged we would at Porto.
But the thing I am most proud of, is the fact that we have mainstreamed social into EU policymaking. And this cannot stop.
We began the mandate using the phrase “nobody should be left behind”. This mantra has stayed with us, and guides the Commission’s work spanning climate, energy, economic and agriculture.
It is true that the Porto Social Summit in May 2021 was a turning point for Social Europe. And here in La Hulpe you have built on this and developed on it.
Porto reinforced the message that you cannot have a strong, resilient and competitive economy without strong social protection and inclusion. And we have been systematically putting fairness and the social dimension throughout all EU policies.
A major driver for fulfilling this pledge is that it is what EU citizens want and expect from us.
In the latest Eurobarometer survey published last week, nine out of ten people (88%) across the EU said a social Europe is important to them personally.
We also asked them what they felt should be the biggest priority in their country:
Tackling the high cost of living is by far the most-frequently mentioned issue (48%), followed by increasing low wages (35%).
So, where do we go from here? If you allow me, I would like to give you my vision for the future of social Europe.
We must see less inequality and poverty.
We will bring back into the fold people who have lost their way, or have been caught in a cycle of marginalisation over generations. That’s also about fighting labour shortages.
Children from all backgrounds will be given the chance to thrive at school, and take part in society.
People of all ages will take on new challenges in their working lives, learning new skills, moving between sectors, earning decent wages, enjoying a good work-life balance, feeling empowered to try new things, to fail sometimes and to try again and to be successful. This means a strong culture of entrepreneurship.
Companies and workers will make full use of Artificial Intelligence and new technologies, saving time, increasing productivity, and improving health and safety. There should always be human oversight and transparency over decisions controlled by algorithms in the workplace.
We have to get the best out of this disruptive innovation. The Platform Work directive and the AI Act are good starting points. And I hope we will soon come to an agreement on the Right to Disconnect. We have to look after the mental health of workers.
Housing will become more affordable, energy-efficient and a place for people to call home. Homelessness will become a rarity. No one will fall between the cracks – the safety nets in place will quickly scoop them up and help them back on the right path. The Housing First approach will become the norm.
The EU will forge ahead to meet its climate targets, all the while ensuring that fairness and solidarity remain at the core of the Green Deal.
People whose jobs have become deplete will be re-trained to prepare for new jobs.
Vulnerable households will be supported in accessing essential services.
Renewable energies will provide millions of jobs for Europeans, and reduce the energy price for households and businesses. Solidarity applies to people and to companies, as well as regions and territories that are affected by the transitions. This is why cohesion policy remains so important.
You may be thinking that this sounds like a utopian vision, a fantasy. But I believe that it is achievable, if we view every policy that we propose through a human-centric lens.
We must constantly ask ourselves: “What will be the impact of our actions? What is the distributional impact? How can we mitigate the negative, and bolster the positive effects, economic and social?”
We have to further develop the concept of social investment. With Ministers of EPSCO and ECOFIN, we discussed how to translate and integrate that into our common economic governance. My congratulations to the Spanish and Belgian Presidencies on developing the social convergence framework.
In period of major changes that oblige companies to adapt constantly, social dialogue is of the essence. This has to happen at all levels. This includes collective bargaining and more and better participation of all stakeholders in decision-taking.
When things get tough – and nobody would disagree that we have witnessed a tough few years – we must not forget about social rights and protection. On the contrary, that is precisely the time to double down and focus on social, on people.
Europe’s security is about defence and a strong economy based on strategic autonomy, but it is also about social cohesion.
Investing in people is never a waste. It is the best way to mitigate the skills and labour shortages that so many companies are facing which is a big problem for our growth potential.
Think about interns and apprentices: by investing time and resources into their training, you nurture their talents and help shape your future employees.
Think about children facing poverty: by providing them with free early childcare, free school meals, access to extra-curricular activities and healthcare, you make it possible for them to escape a life of struggle and exclusion, and you gain active members of society and the labour market.
We should not be afraid to think outside the box in a time when things are so rapidly changing.
At the start of the mandate, we knew we had a massive challenge to get people in large numbers to reskill and retrain. So we brought together big companies, SMEs, trade unions, academics, employment agencies, educators – and we asked them – where are your skills gaps? And how can you help meet those needs?
Already, the Pact for Skills has provided training to 3.5 million workers with commitments to train more than 25 million people by 2030. It is key for Europe’s new economic and sustainable development to actively include SMEs in skills policies that have to be adapted to their particular needs
Three years ago in Porto, we said it was time to deliver. And we have delivered. Most importantly, we have set something in motion: the journey towards a strong social Europe that protects.
But the journey is not over. This is a collective effort: we all have a role to play. We must hold each other to account and keep pushing for a Europe that is fair, inclusive and full of opportunity.
This conference is a very solid base. Thank you to the Belgian Presidency for having initiated this gathering.
Thank you.
Source – EU Commission