As EU Pillar celebrates 1st anniversary, AGE calls for a wider EU social strategy

A year has now passed since the European Pillar of Social Rights was proclaimed by the European institutions on 17 November 2017. To celebrate that first anniversary, a two-day conference of NGOs was hosted by the Portuguese government on 29-30 November. This was the occasion to take stock of the progress made so far and the work that is still ahead to implement the 20 principles of the Pillar.

For AGE, although some small steps have been taken to take social policies better into account in the European Union, important topics will remain unaddressed unless a clear social strategy for Europe is developed.

‘One year ago the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights by the European Council, European Parliament and European Commission raised great hope among EU citizens that social policies would be better prioritised in the EU’, said Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Secretary General in our press release. ‘The Pillar proclaimed 20 principles which include the right to long-term care and to health care, as well as the right to adequate old-age income, to life-long learning , and active labour market support which are all important for the participation of older people in society. However, a clear social agenda to implement these promises is still lacking’.

Since the proclamation of the Pillar in November 2017, AGE has been calling for a plan of action to implement all 20 principles, including them in the European Semester process – the EU’s coordination mechanism of socio-economic policies of member states – and taking into account the European Social Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

Read our full press release here

For more information, please contact Philippe Seidel, philippe.seidel@age-platform.eu