CoR members adopted today by overwhelming majority the draft opinion by the Mayor of Altenkirchen (PES, Germany), making the CoR the first European institution to have officially responded to the European Commission’s public consultation on a first preliminary outline of a European Pillar of Social Rights. The consultation closes at the end of the year and the European Commission should come up with a proposal for a Pillar by early 2017.
"Closer coordination of economic and fiscal policies in the Eurozone must go hand in hand with full consideration of the social dimension to the EMU", stressed the rapporteur in his introductory remarks, noting that social peace is a precondition for sustainable growth. "We expect the European Commission not to limit itself to a mere assessment of the present EU social acquis but to take coordination of social rights in the eurozone a step further, taking into account the highly interdependent nature of labour markets and ever increasing labour mobility", urged the rapporteur. The opinion calls on the Commission to propose a fiscal capacity for the Eurozone, open to all Member States, which could also allow for a European coordination of anti-cyclical policies.
Heinz-Joachim Höfer welcomes overall the proposal for a European Pillar of Social Rights as it would help implementing the EU's aims set in Art. 3 TEU. "If the European Pillar is translated into strong social safeguards including for access to health, educational and social welfare services, it can act as a coordinating tool that helps Member States address social inequalities, drive forward upward convergence of social standards in the euro area and consolidate the EU's aims of inclusive and sustainable growth", underlined the rapporteur.
The CoR calls on the Commission to properly define flexibility in working conditions, so as to strike a balance between flexibility and security. It also urges for a proper consideration of the effects of digitalisation upon employment. Moreover, it makes a series of concrete proposals on the preliminary outline of the Pillar. Regarding Chapter I, which covers equal opportunities and access to the labour market, the CoR underlines the need to make access to EU funding for companies conditional upon compliance with labour contract standards. Concerning Chapter II, which covers fair working conditions, it calls for a strengthened role of social dialogue in wage-setting. Finally, as regards Chapter III on adequate and sustainable social protection, it stresses that any state guarantee of a minimum subsistence level should be linked to cooperation requirements, such as participation in active support to encourage labour market (re)integration. The CoR also underlines that the protection of socially and economically disadvantaged children must focus not only on childcare services but also overall the improvement of the family situation. Last but not least, the CoR urges that substandard social housing be abolished and that vulnerable persons who are not given alternative accommodation be protected from eviction.
