The Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Luca Visentini, presented a cake to Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Marianne Thyssen and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday 13 November, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
The cake was accompanied by a ticket with the following message on it: "Dearest Pillar, we wish you a wonderful first anniversary. You have given us hope for the future. May you grow to realize your full potential”.
And for good reason, the implementation of the Pillar, proclaimed in November 2017 (see EUROPE 11906, 11906) is far from complete, as Mr Visentini reminded EUROPE. Five major texts directly derived from the foundation must absolutely make progress, namely: the 'work/life' directive, the working conditions directive, the European Labour Authority and finally the recommendations on access to social security.
Although progress has already been made, Mr Visentini is concerned in particular about the 'work/life' directive, which would be blocked by some Member States (see other news), or the working conditions directive, which would be put at risk by the EPP (see other news).
The union expects Member States to implement the platform effectively. The problem is that the deterioration of social dialogue, particularly in Hungary, would be an obstacle. The trade union secretary pointed out that the situation did not concern all Member States in Central and Eastern Europe. Social dialogue in Bulgaria and Slovakia would be good, he said.
During the meeting, Mr Juncker would have insisted on the need to encourage the use of stable contracts, explained Mr Visentini. Mr Juncker is said to have highlighted his personal history, recalling that he was able to go to university thanks to his father's stable situation.
On the same day, Mr Visentini met the first Vice-President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, who recently became 'Spitzenkandidat' of the Party of European Socialists (see EUROPE 12130). For him, this meeting was particularly important. Mr Timmermans is likely to find himself again in the next Commission, unlike Mr Juncker and Mrs Thyssen, he observed. "It potentially represents the continuity" needed to move the European platform forward, he said. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)