A recent study, conducted by Prof. Olivier De Schutter and Paul Dermine, shows that new tools of socio-economic governance in the EU are almost entirely silent on the need to avoid that efforts aiming at economic convergence shall not lead to making it more difficult or impossible for the EU Member States to comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil social rights, as listed both in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and in international human rights law.

The study explores how the strengthening of budgetary discipline, the inclusion of severe conditionalities in the provision of financial assistance to Eurozone Member States experiencing financial difficulties, and more generally, the fostering of macroeconomic convergence across the EMU, shall not lead to a systemic downgrading of social rights.

The study underlines that the European Committee on Social Rights, acting under the European Social Charter adopted in the framework of the Council of Europe, as well as various human rights treaty bodies, have made clear their expectations that greater attention should be paid to the social rights impacts of fiscal consolidation and structural adjustment measures.

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