PES president Sergei Stanishev said:
“Socialists have been fighting for years for the EU to set out the principle of social rights for all Europeans. Thanks to the hard work of our leaders and MEPs, this declaration is finally a reality. I warmly congratulate Stefan Löfven for his visionary leadership in bringing this about.
“But we are acutely aware that this is only the first step. Now the European pillar of social rights has been proclaimed, it must be implemented. The urgent next step is to set out exactly how the pillar’s twenty principles will be put into force.
“We are ready for this next step. We have prepared a fully-fledged European Social Action Plan, to start the implementation as of today.”
The European pillar of social rights acknowledges 20 basic principles for the EU’s social policy, which correspond to many of the PES’s own priorities, including:
- quality jobs with quality working conditions
- fair wages, minimum wages and a minimum income level
- preventing precarious jobs and prohibiting abuse of atypical contracts
- strong social protections for all
- guaranteed access to healthcare and other essential services
- gender equality and equal opportunities, including for people with disabilities
- work-life balance for those with caring responsibilities, including gender balance
Read PES positions on the social pillar: