In view of the Action Plan on the European pillar of social rights, to be adopted in early 2021, and the Porto Social Summit, scheduled for May 2021, on Thursday 17 December the European Parliament adopted (616 votes to 22 with 58 abstentions) a report by Agnes Jongerius (S&D, Netherlands) and Dennis Radtke (EPP, Germany) to make the social objectives included in the European pillar of social rights binding.
MEPs are thereby calling for the integration into the treaties of the European pillar of social rights and a protocol (see EUROPE 12603/23) to give social rights the same protection as economic freedoms within the single market, explain MEPs. They call for the adoption of a pact for sustainable development and social progress in order to achieve the UN goals of sustainable development.
In this context, they consider that the budgetary process of the European semester should be applied, to be the subject of a procedure between the co-legislators. They consider that qualified majority voting should cover more areas of social policy (such as non-discrimination, social protection of workers, or the representation and collective defence of workers’ interests).
They also call for 30% of new housing built to be affordable (i.e. social) housing and for an end to the gender pay and pension gaps by 2030.
To consult the report: https://bit.ly/34qKuoX (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)