On Wednesday 10 September, the organisers of the Porto Social Forum prepared a new version of the Declaration that will be approved on 19 September at the end of this two-day event, which is intended to take stock of the progress made at the Porto European Summit of 2021, which set three major social objectives to be achieved by 2030.
But while this new version, as seen by Agence Europe, introduces new references to the role of the social partners and the defence of workers’ rights (“We reiterate our commitment to fully respect the prerogatives and promote the role of trade unions and employers’ organisations as the actors for social dialogue”), to transformations linked to digital technology or the cost of living, to “the promotion of decent work beyond EU borders” or to the key role of the ESF+, part of the European Parliament, namely the coordinators of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, which reportedly refused to sign it on 11 September.
The lack of ambition in this declaration, which notably deleted the mention of a ‘package’ for fair mobility, although this was expected by 2026, is not the only reason. The European Parliament and European trade unions, such as the European Trade Union Confederation, complained that they were not consulted or involved in the drafting of this declaration.
For the European Parliament, this is a violation of the principle of sincere cooperation between the European institutions, as the draft declaration remained concentrated in the hands of the Portuguese government, the Danish Presidency of the EU Council and the Commission.
On 11 September, the European trade unions were also unsure whether they would be able to sign the document at the end of the Forum, regretting that the process had not been similar to that of the Hulpe Declaration in April 2024 (see EUROPE 13392/19). According to the signatories, the Belgian Presidency and previous presidencies had put in place an open and lengthy consultation process.
For the trade unions, the lack of concrete commitments in this declaration is also a challenge at a time when they are wondering about the concrete measures that the European Commission will present as part of its package on quality jobs, expected this year, as well as on the theme of fair mobility for workers, scheduled for the summer of 2026. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)