On Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 April, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU should be able to secure the approval of a La Hulpe Declaration on the future of European social policies supported by 26 Member States, as Sweden has refused to support the draft text.
On Friday 12 April, the Member States volunteering to support this declaration of major social principles to be defended during the next European term of office gave their green light under a new silence procedure, even though the Belgian Presidency still had to work out the details.
The last draft calls for the continued implementation of the 2017 Pillar of Social Rights, whether in terms of fair working conditions, gender equality or social protection and inclusion.
The latest draft, which has toned down earlier drafts deemed too prescriptive and detailed, makes more general reference to future social projects, such as future actions in the field of algorithmic management, the reduction of gender and salary discrimination in certain professional sectors and, while respecting national competences, improving access to housing.
Some observers also believe that this Declaration could pave the way for a revision of the Directives on public procurement by taking social criteria into account.
It will be approved at a meeting involving the Commission, MEPs, Ministers or representatives of Social Affairs Ministers from the Member States and the European social partners.
The conference will be organised into themed workshops (access to the labour market, fair working conditions, socio-economic governance, early childhood, etc.).
European interest in social issues. A new Eurobarometer survey, published on 12 April, “confirms that 88% of European citizens consider a social Europe to be important to them personally”, said the Commission in a press release.
According to the survey, at national level, almost half of respondents (48%) believe that tackling the high cost of living should be a major priority in their country, followed by the issue of low wages (35%).
The most important social priorities for respondents at European level are standard of living (45%), fair working conditions (44%) and access to quality healthcare (44%). The EU is also expected to take initiatives on healthcare (38%), wages (34%) and old age income and pensions (30%).
Link to the Declaration and preliminary survey: https://aeur.eu/f/bqz; https://aeur.eu/f/br0 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)