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Towards upward convergence of social standards in the Eurozone

Creating a strong European pillar of social rights can make a major contribution to coordination and upward convergence of social standards and strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the EU, outlines an opinion adopted by the European Committee of the Regions on Tuesday.

Europe's cities and regions are contributing to the public consultation launched by the European Commission with the aim to assess the present EU social 'acquis', consider new trends in work patterns and set out a number of essential principles to support well-functioning and fair labour markets and welfare systems within the euro area. Rapporteur Heinz-Joachim Höfer (DE/PES) said: "If this initiative is translated into strong social safeguards, it can provide support to Member States to address social inequalities, to combat social dumping and to consolidate the EU's aims of inclusive and sustainable growth."

The opinion drafted by the Mayor of Altenkirchen asks the European Commission to support Member States in their efforts to modernise social protection systems within the framework of the European Semester. It further 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.

"Strengthening the social dimension of the European and Monetary Union (EMU) should go hand in hand with closer coordination of economic and fiscal policies in the euro area. It is crucial to tackle social and territorial cohesion gaps between European regions and therefore regional disparity indicators should be added to the EMU social indicators scoreboard", stressed Mr Höfer.

His report also urges the Commission to tackle the challenges accompanying the changing world of work, including increased digitalisation, and to properly define flexibility in working conditions, so as to strike a balance between flexibility and security. Mr Höfer provided an example from his town: "In Altenkirchen, we are offering childcare workers a possibility for part-time work with children who have special needs in language or personal education. As many workers in this sector are themselves parents with young kids, this arrangement suits them particularly well while allowing them to return to full-time work whenever they wish."

Furthermore, the opinion highlights the need for closer cooperation between the different levels of government, sectors and stakeholders while strengthening the role to social partners and introducing an efficient instrument for civil dialogue. It also urges to ensure minimum social, economic and educational opportunities for young people, for example by extending the benefits of the Youth Guarantee to cover young people up to the age of 30.

"Europe's citizens need to believe that the principle of social progress and equality of opportunity is not treated as peripheral to the macroeconomic adjustment process", says Mr Höfer, pointing out that access to quality welfare systems and public services should be considered a priority in Europe.

Contact:

Lauri Ouvinen
Tel. +32 22822063
lauri.ouvinen@cor.europa.eu

 

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