more social Europe is a central element of the recovery

The Porto Social Summit (Portugal) will take place on 7 and 8 May 2021 on the initiative of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The European institutions, Member States, as well as the social partners, will be invited to engage in and debate on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The stakeholders will deal in particular with the Action Plan for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights presented last March by the European Commission.

IndustriAll Europe is pleased to note that an intervention of the social partners and of the civil society is foreseen in the agenda of this Social Summit, which brings together the ETUC, Business Europe, SGI Europe, SMEunited and Social Platform. The ETUC and the employers’ organisations will benefit from a delegation with nine seats. A joint declaration by the three EU institutions and the social partners should be adopted by the end of this Summit.

Trade Union Action:
On this occasion, the ETUC is organising a trade union summit in Porto on 6 May to coordinate the actions of the social movement. The Portuguese Presidency appears committed to the consultation of the social partners and to reinforce the dialogue with the social partners and citizens. This summit is therefore an opportunity to discuss Social Europe at the highest political level. The trade unions expect the summit to give a long overdue impulse to Europe’s social dimension and deliver on protecting people, supporting businesses, and investing in equality, social progress and economic well-being for the good of all and with people at its centre.

Several declarations have been made in preparation of this Summit, chiefly by the Alliance Stand Up for the European Pillar of Social Rights which requests a recovery based on a strong, durable and resilient economy, modelled on the European Pillar of Social Rights.
This summit will be followed by an informal EU Council on 8 May. It is essential to ensure that the priorities and commitments that will be approved during the Social Summit are supported in a coherent manner by all the Prime Ministers and Heads of State during this Council.

Luc Triangle, industriAll Europe General Secretary, declared that: “With the Porto Summit, the Portuguese Presidency is sending a strong signal that a more social Europe is a central element of the recovery. Economic and social recovery must go hand in hand. It is high time to deliver a Europe that works for all and which turns the ambition of convergence into a reality. It is high time to change the narrative into concrete action. This is why we need the Porto Summit to turn the 20 principles into tangible measures by adopting an ambitious action plan for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. We now need to walk the talk of Social Europe.”

One of the biggest challenges that faces trade union action is to succeed in linking the Porto Social Summit and the Conference on the Future of Europe to guarantee the implementation of the Action Plan.

A close relationship with the Conference on the Future of Europe
On the occasion of Europe Day, the Conference on the Future of Europe will be inaugurated on 9 May 2021 at the European Parliament. European citizens will be able to give their opinion through a digital platform developed for this event. The trade union movement is already actively engaged in the preparation of this platform.

The aim of this Conference is to find new agreements for the future of European democracy. For trade union action, its closeness to the Porto Social Summit is an opportunity to put Social Europe at the heart of the Conference on the Future of Europe. However, the mobilisation of the trade union movement is essential in this event to guarantee that the priorities conveyed by the social partners are taken into account.

Luc Triangle, General Secretary of industriAll Europe:
“The commitments announced in the context of the Porto Social Summit and the Conference on the Future of Europe go in the right direction. However, these two events cannot take place without them being connected. To achieve the recovery and show real commitment to Social Europe, the Porto goals must be reflected in the Conference topics and the social partners must fully participate in these two events to guarantee a high level of commitment.”

Contact: Andrea Husen-Bradley (press and communication)