Briefing paper 93: Implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights

December 19, 2019

Two years after its proclamation, and with the start of a new European Commission, it is time to see how the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights has progressed and what measures are still in the pipeline. The new Commission President Von der Leyen has pledged in her political guidelines to strengthen Europe’s social dimension and to keep the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights as a priority. Giving the task to Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit and Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President for An Economy that Works for People, respectively, to develop and to coordinate the work on an action plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights that will be presented in 2020.

In the meantime, there are already a number of proposals and initiatives that are awaiting further elaboration and shaping. Some aim for the introduction of new legislation, others intend to integrate the principles of the pillar into existing policymaking processes.

This briefing paper gives an overview of the steps that have been taken to implement the 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights as well as the most promising proposals for future legislation.