Especially in times of multiple crises, trust in the welfare state, good work, an intact environment and a functioning social partnership must be strengthened. This not only serves the well-being of people and social peace, but also a stable economic development. However, the EU Commission's work program for 2025 contains hardly any initiatives in this regard. One of the few exceptions is the announcement of a new action plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights, which will be presented at the end of 2025.

Urgent need to strengthen the EU's social dimension

The European Pillar of Social Rights was solemnly proclaimed in 2017 and includes twenty social policy principles such as fair wages, decent pensions and gender equality. In 2021, the EU Commission presented an action plan to implement the pillar. Four years later, it is now time to further proceed with implementation. It is clear that there is a lot to be done: some EU member states, including Austria, are a long way from fulfilling the three 2030 targets of the current action plan (more employment, more training, less poverty). AK President Renate Anderl pointed this out at a round table in Brussels on 3 June. She called on the EU Commission to propose concrete measures in the new action plan, in particular to improve working conditions.

AK EUROPA Round Table with AK President Renate Anderl

In addition to AK President Renate Anderl, around 35 other high-calibre individuals, including MEP Evelyn Regner (S&D) and the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Oliver Röpke, as well as representatives from the EU Commission, the Council, trade unions, social insurance and academia, took part in the AK EUROPA Round Table.

Professor Claudia Maria Hofmann (University of Frankfurt an der Oder) pointed out that the preparatory work for the current EU legislative period had already cast a shadow: The La Hulpe Declaration on the future of the European Pillar of Social Rights had already been discussed in the context of EU competitiveness. In her view, however, a resilience-orientated further development of the European Pillar of Social Rights was required in order to support people in overcoming current challenges. Torsten Müller (EGI) described the Minimum Wage Directive as a milestone for social Europe. The aim of promoting collective bargaining in the EU and in the candidate countries should be pursued regardless of the current legal review by the European Court of Justice.

MEP Evelyn Regner pointed out the political balance of power in the EU Parliament. Social issues and the concerns of employees are becoming increasingly difficult to enforce. Above all, funding for these issues must be secured, which is why the European Social Fund must not be cut back. EESC President Oliver Röpke emphasised the important role of organised civil society in the further development of the European Pillar of Social Rights. As the joint voice of employers, employees and civil society, the EESC has always played a constructive role, for example at the Social Forum 2023. The EESC will also adopt an opinion on the new action plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights, as Sophia Reisecker, EESC rapporteur, explained.

What happens next?

The EU Commission will soon be launching a public consultation on the new action plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights. From the point of view of AK, a broad debate on the further development of social Europe is urgently needed, especially in view of the current discourse, in which the calls of business associations for deregulation are at the centre and the concerns of employees are hardly being heard.

Further information
EU Commission: Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights
EESC: Joint public hearing on the New Action Plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the EU Anti-poverty Strategy
A&W Blog: Austria's 2030 targets in the context of EU social policy: Major efforts needed to achieve the targets (German only)
AK EUROPA: New momentum for a social Europe
AK EUROPA: The Social Pillar and the future of the EU social agenda
AK EUROPA: Towards strong minimum social standards for social progress in Europe