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October 2011 
Newsletter of the European Committee of Social Rights

50th anniversary issue
"Social rights, human rights in everyday life"

50th Anniversary of the European Social Charter

 


View this radio report  

which explains the history  

of the European Social Charter and the continuing challenges it faces in addressing problems concerning social rights in Europe. 

The opening for signature  

of the European Social Charter in Turin on October 18 1961 was filmed by the Italian broadcaster RAI.
Archive images  

 

© Council of Europe/Conseil de l'Europe 2011   

New Publications 




The European Social Charter
 a new publication by Carole Benelhocine

To order

 

 
Reform of the European Social Charter: Seminar presentations of the Helsinki Conference
 
8-9 February 2011
  

 

 


Tell me,

what is the European

Social Charter?,  

a comic strip illustrating social rights

 

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Opening speech by Torbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe 

at the Joint Conference "The Council of Europe's Social Charter 50 years on, What's next?"    
organised by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of France and the European Economic and Social Committee
23 September 2011, Paris
 
  

 In his speech the Secretary General encourages States to accept the collective complaints procedure as a  means of achieving more effective social rights policies in member States.  He further claims that in the current economic crisis "it would be an unacceptable step backwards for our democracies if social rights were to be sacrificed on the altar of austerity budgets".

Video of Mr Jagland's speech 


See article below
Declaration of the Committee of Ministers reaffirms the paramount role of the Charter

In a  declaration adopted on 12 October 2011 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the European Social Charter, the Committee of Ministers underlines the particular relevance of social rights and their guarantee in times of economic difficulties, encouraging States Parties to bring their domestic situations into conformity with the Charter.

Events relating to the 50th anniversary of the Charter, 17-21 october 2011    


Overview of events 17-21 October 2011

   


Brainstorming on the ratification of the Collective Complaints Procedure 

 

Programme of the official ceremony 

   

Official ceremony of the 50th anniversary


18 October 2011,

  

Strasbourg, Council of Europe (Agora)
   

 

 

 

Video of the official ceremony  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Speeches

    

 

Speech of the Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland  

 

 

 

 


 

  

Speech of the Vice Prime Minister,   

Minister for Social Policy, Sergiy Tigipko

 

 

 

    

  

Speech of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mevlut Cavusoglu 

  

 


 

 

 

Speech of the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Jean-Paul Costa (fr)  

 

  

 

    

Speech of the President of the European Committee of Social Rights, Luis Jimena Quesada 

  







Speech outline of the Mayor of Turin, Piero Fassino (fr)

 

 

 

>> Calendar of all events in the framework of the 50th anniversary 

 

Mr. Jimena Quesada, President of the European Committee of Social Rights, defines the Charter, how it functions and evaluates its impact over the last 50 years.


Mr. O'Cinneide, Vice President of the European Committee of Social Rights, addresses member countries of the Council of Europe who have ratified the Charter on the importance of respecting social rights in times of economic crisis.
Audiovisual file



Ms. Schlachter, Vice President of the European Committee of Social Rights, speaks of social rights in Europe and the impact of 50 years of the European Social Charter.
(de)





Mr. Brillat, Head of the Department of the European Social Charter and of the European Code of Social Security, explains the Charter's past achievements and future challenges, after being launched half a century ago in Turin, Italy.
Podcast (fr)

 

  © Council of Europe/Conseil de l'Europe 2011 

A place to live 
This web documentary examines the problems of finding decent living conditions in Paris for people on low incomes. It coincides with the 50th anniversary of the European Social Charter, which is referred to in the film.   Web documentary 


This short film shows some concrete examples of how the European Social Charter works in practice. Jim Gibbons reports from Croatia and Bulgaria on the challenges faced by homosexuals, transgender and Roma people.
  Film

 

  © Council of Europe/Conseil de l'Europe 2011 

EESCJoint Conference  "The Council of Europe's Social Charter 50 years on, What's next?"

The conference was held on 23 September 2011 in Paris, and was organised by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of France and the European Economic and Social Committee. Particular attention was paid to how the European Social Charter, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Community Charter of Fundamental Social Rights of Workers can complement each other to create a more social Europe.
 
Programme

Opening speech by Staffan Nilsson, President of the European Economic and Social Committee

Speech by Leila Kurki, President of the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, European Economic and Social Committee

Conclusions of the Conference

Social Europe - Interviews of Toute l'Europe.eu 


Jean-Paul Delevoye
La crise est une opportunité pour l'Europe sociale (The crisis is an opportunity for Social Europe)




Luis Jimena Quesada
L'Europe sociale est à deux vitesses  (Social Europe is a two-tier system)


 

Department of the European Social Charter and of the European Code of Social Security
Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law
Directorate of Human Rights

F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex  
Tel. +33 (0) 3 88 41 32 58
Fax. +33 (0) 3 88 41 37 00  

www.coe.int/socialcharter