Social Rights

The European Committee of Social Rights publishes today its 2016 Activity Report, which presents the major achievements of the Committee over the last year.

On the basis of its reporting system, the European Committee of Social Rights examined in 2016 reports submitted by 34 States Parties on the articles relating to employment, training and equal opportunities. The Committee adopted a total of 577 conclusions, including 64 conclusions relating to findings of non-conformity for lack of information in Conclusions 2014 and 513 conclusions with regard to the examined thematic group.

Despite some problems related to the application of the Charter as regards for example insufficient protection against discrimination in employment on different grounds such as gender and sexual orientation, insufficient integration of persons with disabilities in mainstream education, the labour market and society in general and insufficient guarantee of equal rights between men and women in particular as regards equal pay, there has been some progress, however, such as the adoption of anti-discrimination legislation in some countries, in particular in respect of persons with disabilities. The Committee also notes that vocational guidance and training systems are well established in the majority of the States examined.

As to the collective complaints procedure, 21 new complaints were lodged in 2016. The Committee adopted five decisions on the merits, three on admissibility and three on both admissibility and the merits. Decisions on the merits related in particular to the right of conscientious objection to health workers in Italy in the framework of the right to abortion; the situation of travellers in Ireland and Roma in the Czech Republic; the lack of trade union rights for military gendarmes personnel in France; the right of social security, in particular pension rights of Justices of the Peace in Italy.

The Committee welcomes the ratification of the Revised Social Charter by Greece in March 2016, “to which a special tribute should be paid for its commitment to social rights, and in particular to the example it has set by assuming greater responsibility for the safeguard of these rights in times of economic crisis”, underlines the Committee’s President Giuseppe Palmisano.

The Activity Report also contains information on the activities carried out within the Council of Europe in 2016 for the promotion of the treaty system of the European Social Charter, including those achieved in the context of the Turin process.

Download the 2016 Activity Report