Social Rights

Digitalisation of social protection in Europe must not come at the cost of access to social rights, panellists concluded at a side event held on 18 March 2026 in Chișinău on the margins of the High-Level Conference on Social Rights: The European Social Charter.

Organised by the COE–FRA–ENNHRI–EQUINET Collaborative Platform on Social and Economic Rights in cooperation with the Equality Council and the People’s Advocate of the Republic of Moldova, the event examined how the digital transformation of welfare systems across Europe is reshaping access to social protection.

Participants acknowledged that the digitisation of social protection systems in Europe promises greater efficiency and improved accessibility, but that it also raises concerns about the exclusion of people who are already in vulnerable situations from accessing social rights

“Digitalisation can improve the delivery of social protection, but it must never come at the expense of rights. If digitalisation creates barriers for those most in need of support, it risks undermining the very purpose of social protection. The European Social Charter reminds us that access to social protection must remain real and effective for everyone and must be human-centred, including in the digital age”, stressed Miriam Kullmann, member of the European Committee of Social Rights.

Participants therefore stressed that digitalisation must be designed in a way that strengthens – rather than restricts – access to social protection.

Several key recommendations emerged from the discussion.

• Digitalised social protection systems must be human-centred.
• States must ensure that everyone has effective access to social protection, so that “digital-by-default” does not turn into “digital-only”.
• Equality and accessibility considerations should be integrated into the design of digital welfare systems from the outset.
• Transparency and accountability in automated decision-making must be strengthened. People should understand how decisions affecting their lives are made and which data are used. They must also have access to meaningful human review and efficient, accessible complaints mechanisms.
• Regular human rights and equality impact assessments should accompany digital welfare reforms in order to identify and mitigate risks of exclusion or discrimination.
• Strengthened cooperation at the European level will be essential for sharing expertise and developing common standards as digital welfare systems continue to evolve.

The event also highlighted the crucial role of national human rights institutions, equality bodies, and civil society organisations in overseeing these developments. These institutions can monitor the impacts of digitalisation, provide independent advice to governments, identify patterns of indirect discrimination, support individuals seeking remedies, and bring forward the lived experiences of affected communities.