At the beginning of April, Eurodiaconia held a webinar for members on the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and its Action Plan. This was the first event in the pilot phase of our Social Europe Academy (SEA), which aims to bring the initiatives of the European Union and our members closer together.
The webinar began with an introduction to the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), the Action Plan and how they are monitored. The event was designed to be interactive, and our members had the opportunity to share which principles of the EPSR their work is most related to and those principles they felt should be prioritised by the European Union. Here are the principles that participants highlighted:
Fully embracing the online format, we used a Jamboard session for members to share the areas of work and projects they are running to visualise how they are already working towards the Pillar principles.
As well as being an important opportunity for us to better understand what our members think should be prioritised at an EU level, we also had the chance to exchange with a representative of the European Commission. Mr. Marcello Ranucci, from DG EMPL, gave a detailed presentation of the Action Plan, its key targets, and initiatives aimed at achieving them. He emphasised the Commission’s commitment to strengthening the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the Action Plan. Looking ahead, he underlined the need to respond effectively to new challenges; foster engagement between Member States, social partners and civil society; and prepare for the forthcoming review of the Action Plan in 2025.
In concluding the webinar, we too looked ahead to what we can do next. For our members, a good starting point is to identify the EPSR principles that require action in their own countries and then use the Pillar to pressure national authorities into action. We also encourage members to continue sharing information and analysis with us so that we can better inform our advocacy work at the EU. On our part, in September, to coincide with the State of the Union address, we will hold a “State of the Social Union” conference and publish an accompanying report. Throughout the rest of 2022, members should look out for further training opportunities on the EPSR and European Semester.
If you would like to learn more about the European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan, you can have a look at our Webinar Presentation and the Social Platform Toolkit.
(Graphics Credit: Social Platform – Second anniversary of the European Pillar of Social Rights | Social Platform)