Seminar on strengthening the protection of social rights in Europe – the role of the European Social Charter

Strasbourg, 8 December 2022

Ambassadors, Commissioner, experts, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to open this seminar on “Strengthening the implementation of social rights in Europe – the role of the European Social Charter”.

The seminar is held in honour of three prominent members of the European Committee of Social Rights who will leave the Committee at the end of the year: Ms. Karin LUKAS currently the President of the Committee; Mr. Giuseppe PALMISANO currently General Rapporteur and the former President of the Committee and Ms. Barbara KRESAL.

These three members have served with dedication and excellence during a time which has seen a virtual transformation of the Charter, not only in terms of its operation, but especially in terms of its visibility and impact. During their time in the Committee, our societies have gone through drastic transformations impacting social rights and several crises such as the financial crisis, Covid-19 pandemic and more recently the war in Ukraine/cost of living crisis put social rights at risk.

Yet, despite these challenges, significant progress has been achieved. An ambitious reform package of the Charter machinery has been adopted and further improvements are under discussion in GT-CHARTE, a reform that has its roots in the Turin process launched back in 2014. During the process, several states ratified the Revised Charter and more provisions, and some even the collective complaints procedure. Under the wise chairing of the last two Presidents, dialogue between all actors involved in the Charter’s system has been reinforced, with the ultimate aim of realising the implementation of social rights for all. 

The Committee has always endeavoured to interpret the Charter in the light of present-day conditions to keep up with the evolution of society and to better protect rights holders, especially those who are placed in a more or most vulnerable situation. The three members who are now leaving the Committee have brought significant contributions in fields such as discrimination and equality, in particular women rights and gender equality, workers’ rights and trade union rights, vulnerable groups, housing, persons with disabilities . Their work has been of inestimable value to the Charter and the Committee, as well as to the Council of Europe and most importantly to the people of Europe.

Let me now briefly touch upon the topics of today’s seminar.

The speakers on the first panel will focus on current challenges and opportunities for social rights in Europe, from a range of different perspectives, national and global, from civil society, academia and from government. While significant efforts have been made to improve the Social Charter machinery, no less through the work of GT-CHARTE, important challenges remain in terms of developing adequate responses to fast-moving developments at the regional and global levels, and increasing the acceptance among States Parties of the Social Charter and of the Collective Complaints procedure.

The second panel will focus on the future of work and workers’ rights in Europe. The panellists will discuss on the role of the Social Charter in providing for protection of workers in atypical forms of employment and for tackling challenges arising from new forms of work such as platform work and work involving artificial intelligence. The discussion on revisiting Charter’s rights is necessary given the rapid change of the labour markets and economies during the last decades, the current cost-of-living crisis, environmental challenges, to name a few. I might add that the feasibility of adding new provisions to the Charter for enhanced protection of workers in atypical forms of employment is also on the agenda of the GT-CHARTE.

In conclusion, on behalf of the Council of Europe, let me once again thank Ms. Karin LUKAS, Mr. Giuseppe PALMISANO and Ms. Barbara KRESAL for their hard and dedicated work, and their distinguished service. I wish them the best for the future. Let the organisation of today’s seminar also serve as a small token of our gratitude.