1. Implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights: what is needed to guarantee a positive social impact Extraordinary Workers' Group Meeting Sofia June 2018
S. Sabato, D. Ghailani, R. Peña-Casas, S. Spasova, F. Corti and B. Vanhercke

2. Structure
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The European Pillar of Social Rights as a new EU social policy framework: a preliminary assessment
Policy recommendations to ensure a positive social impact
Elements for an implementation roadmap

3. Revamping an EU Social Agenda Steering Member States’ policies
2/01/2019
1. The European Pillar of Social Rights as a new EU social policy framework
‘‘A policy infrastructure putting together in a coherent manner the various elements of a public policy, from agenda-setting to implementation”
Three functions
Revamping an EU Social Agenda
Steering Member States’ policies
Influencing EU macro-economic and fiscal policies

4. Revamping an EU Social Agenda (1)
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Revamping an EU Social Agenda (1)
Social dialogue and legislative initiatives
Two-stage consultation of the European social partners on access to social protection for all employment types and a proposal for a Council Recommendation on social protection for the self-employed and non-standard workers
Two-stage consultation of the European social partners on the Written Statement Directive and the Commission proposal for the revision of the Directive (relabelled ‘Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions’)
Proposal for a Directive on Work-Life balance for Parents and Carers

5. 2. Revamping an EU Social Agenda (2)
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2. Revamping an EU Social Agenda (2)
These initiatives:
Have the potential to create new individual rights for citizens
Create new political momentum: issues related to social protection back on the EU agenda
But high risk of being watered down:
Different views between the EU social partners
Great deal of divergence between the Member States

6. Steering Member States’ policies (1)
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Steering Member States’ policies (1)
Legislation
Financial resources
The European Semester

7. The EPSR and the first stages of the 2018 Semester
Steering Member States’ policies (2)
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The EPSR and the first stages of the 2018 Semester
AGS 2018
Draft Joint Employment Report 2018
What about the next steps?
Country Reports, Country-specific Recommendations, National Reform Programmes and Stability & Convergence Programmes

8. Influencing EU macro-economic & fiscal policies (1)
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Influencing EU macro-economic & fiscal policies (1)
A full implementation of the EPSR will not be ‘cheap’: need for adequate budgetary scope for the Member States
EU macro-economic and fiscal policies should allow Member States to implement the EPSR

9. 4. Influencing EU macro-economic & social policies (2)
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The limitations of the proposed Social Scoreboard
Not all the principles of the Pillar are covered
Need to boost headline indicators: gender wage gap, in-work poverty rate (of single workers) and collective bargaining coverage rate
Consistency with existing scoreboards
‘Weight’ compared to dominant scoreboards
Macro-economic Imbalances Procedure
Excessive Deficit Procedure

10. Current effectiveness
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The European Pillar of Social Rights as a new EU social policy framework
Current effectiveness
Revamping EU activities in the social domain (rather good)
Steering Member States’ policies (medium)
Influencing EU macro-economic and fiscal policies (low)

11. 5. Policy recommendations to ensure a positive social impact (1)
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Endowing the Pillar with adequate financial resources
An ambitious but realistic roadmap for implementation is needed
The governance arrangements for (EU and national) implementation of the EPSR should be specified (esp. for implementation at the national level)
Awareness-raising media campaigns are needed at national level
Making governments accountable

12. 7. Policy recommendations to ensure a positive social impact (2)
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7. Policy recommendations to ensure a positive social impact (2)
The EESC and National Economic and Social Committees should be ‘hubs’ to monitor the implementation of the EPSR at both the EU & national levels and to collect concrete proposals for its implementation
The Social Scoreboard should be strengthened and could possibly be used as a reference-point for a future Social-Imbalances Procedure

13. Short-term initiatives
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8. Elements for an implementation roadmap (1)
The roadmap should be ambitious but realistic
Actions should be gradually implemented over time
Short-term initiatives
Directive on work-life balance to be adopted
Endorsement and implementation of the Council Recommendation on social protection for the self-employed and non-standard workers
Adoption of the Directive on transparent and predictable working conditions
Benchmarking and mutual learning exercise with a view to establishing wage floors in the form of a national minimum wage
Operationalization of the European Labour Authority
Revision of the Social Scoreboard with a view to agreeing on a unique Scoreboard
Ensuring that in the next EU multi-annual financial framework post-2020 an adequate level of resources supports the implementation of the Pillar

14. Medium - term initiatives
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8. Elements for an implementation roadmap (2)
Medium - term initiatives
Setting up of a ‘European Unemployment Reinsurance Scheme’
Framework Directive on Minimum Income Schemes
Exchange of good practices concerning the calculation of minimum pensions
Feasibility of a European Child Guarantee
Directive on Effective Enforcement of Workers’ Rights

15. 8. Elements for an implementation roadmap (3) Long-term initiatives
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8. Elements for an implementation roadmap (3)
Long-term initiatives
Arrangements to link the Pillar to the Sustainable Development Agenda
A Social Progress Protocol in any future Treaty change
A Social Rights Test for all new policies
Social Imbalances Procedure
‘Golden rule’ for public investment with a social objective

16. European Social Observatory
2/01/2019
European Social Observatory
Authors:
Sebastiano Sabato, Dalila Ghailani, Ramón Peña-Casas, Slavina Spasova, Francesco Corti and Bart Vanhercke
Feedback welcome at