COMECE and Caritas Europa welcome the request of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Thorbjørn Jagland to include the Council of Europe’s European Social Charter in the EU proposal of the European Pillar of Social Rights. It is only through a coherent approach in European social policy that the growing divergence between Member States can be resolved.
Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. (Photo: Sodel Vladyslav/Shutterstock)
In a few weeks’ time, the European Commission should present its proposal for a European Pillar of Social Rights. This initiative aims to strengthen the social dimension of the EU by tackling the growing inequalities in Europe. The question of its implementation, however, is still to be defined.
In this context, Thorbjørn Jagland points out that not all EU member states have yet ratified the revised European Social Charter and proposes to integrate this request for ratification into the Pillar of Social Rights. Such an option would make it possible to reinforce the coherence between the social standards of the EU and the Council of Europe.
The proposal of the Secretary General of the CoE would also allow to lodge collective complaints in case of violation of these rights.
COMECE welcomes these two proposals, which go in the direction of a better coordination of social policies and an effective enforcement of the social rights in Europe.
