1. Social Dialogue and the role of the ESF
A New Start for a Strong
Social Dialogue and the role of the ESF
European Social Fund Committee, 12 October 2016

2. A new start for Europe: President Junker’s agenda
The social market economy can only work if there is social dialogue.
Social dialogue suffered during the crisis years.
Now it must be resumed at national and especially at European level.
I would like to be a President of social dialogue 2

3. 5th March 2015: The Commission ‘new start’
A high level conference marking the new start for social dialogue took place in Brussels on 5 March 2015
Organised by the European Commission
Speakers included: EU SPs Secretary Generals at both cross-industry and sectoral level, President Junker, VP Dombrovskis, Commissioner Thyssen, EP President Schulz, Council Presidency
Discussions included obstacles to social dialogue as well as concrete ways to strengthen social dialogue throughout the EU representatives
6 thematic workshops
More than 150 participants 3

4. 5th March 2015: The Commission ‘new start’
Il n’y pas de tripartisme si le bipartisme ne fonctionne pas. Donc, c’est à vous de vous mettre d’accord. La Commission peut être l’aumônier de ce dialogue, peut inciter les uns, les autres à des coups de sagesse. Mais l‘essentiel du travail doit être fait par les partenaires sociaux et sur un plan national, et, puisque tel est notre problème, sur le plan européen. Donc faites en sorte que le bipartisme fonctionne (…) 4

5. Thematic groups Thematic Group 1: II. Thematic Group 2:
OBJECTIVE: To substantiate respective commitments and to monitor the follow up to the New Start for social dialogue
TIMEFRAME – July 2015 – January 2016
PARTICIPANTS: social partners (12 members on each side), representatives of the LV, LU, NL, SK and MT presidencies, Council Secretariat and the Commission services
CHAIR: The Commission head the meetings
Chatham house rules
Thematic Groups meant to lead to a tangible joint product
Thematic Group 1:
Social dialogue, economic governance, capacity building
Improving the functioning and the effectiveness of social dialogue and the capacity building of social partners at national level
Improving the involvement of social partners in the European Semester and in assessing, designing, agreeing and implementing relevant reforms/policies
II. Thematic Group 2:
Social dialogue, policy making, law making
Improving the involvement of social partners in policy making
Clarifying the relation between social partners’ agreements and the better regulation agenda. 5

6. 16 June 2016: EU Council Conclusions
Content
Political context
Acknowledgments…
Welcome…
Calls on Member States and EU Commission to take action…
Invites Social Partners Council…
(available in all EU languages) 6

7. Content 27 June 2016: Tripartite statement is signed
Actions by social partners (based on their Joint Declaration)
Actions by the European Commission (based on Council Conclusions)
Actions by Member States (based on Council Conclusions) 7

8. Supporting capacity building
The European Social Fund (1)
Supporting capacity building
The Commission endeavors to:
Examine whether the use of European Structural and Investment Funds, notably the European Social Fund, and other relevant EU budget lines, can contribute to strengthening the capacity of national social partners by promoting social dialogue and capacity building.
Encourage the promotion of knowledge-building on social dialogue and support capacity-building through mutual learning, identification, and exchanges of good practices.
Member States should take the necessary steps to:
Promote the building and strengthening of the capacities of the social partners through different forms of support, including legal and technical expertise. This should be ensured at all relevant levels, depending on the needs of countries and social partners, including to become solid and representative organisations

9. The European social partners will undertake a project that aims to:
The European Social Fund (2)
The European social partners will undertake a project that aims to:
Build on the implementation of the partnership principle and the role of social partners in the delivery and monitoring of ESF activities by mapping the ESF support to capacity-building of social partners
Explore the extent to which capacity building facilitates, or the contribution that it could make in the future to, social dialogue and the implementation of EU social dialogue instruments in convergence and transition regions;
Gather and exchange information on practical examples of projects funded by the ESF at national, regional, and local levels.

10. Concluding remarks
The tripartite document can be a milestone that will reinforce social dialogue
First time that we have a tripartite document on social dialogue, first time that we have Council Conclusions on social dialogue
Strong bipartite social dialogue should go hand in hand with concrete support by public authorities at all levels
The ESF continues to be an important tool to help strengthen the capacity of national social partners and ESF support for this needs to be further encouraged