Social Rights

Today, the Council of Europe Department of Social Rights, with the Permanent Representations of the Netherlands and Portugal, brought together representatives of member States, the European Committee of Social Rights and the Council of Europe Secretariat for an information session on the European Social Charter.

The event provided deputies to the Permanent Representatives with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Charter system and its monitoring mechanisms, including the European Committee of Social Rights’ state reporting procedure and the collective complaints procedure. Participants also had the opportunity to exchange views on the practical functioning of the Charter’s monitoring mechanisms and the follow-up to the Committee’s conclusions and decisions.

The session took place at an important moment for the Charter system, following the High-Level Conferences held in Vilnius in 2024 and Chișinău in March 2026. At the Chișinău Conference, member States had reaffirmed their commitment to social rights and recognised the European Social Charter system as an important contribution to social justice and democratic resilience.

The discussions also focused on recent developments and the next phase of implementation of the European Social Charter. Participants considered the outcomes and follow-up to the Chișinău Conference, the implementation of reforms adopted by the Committee of Ministers in 2022–2023, and the contribution of the Charter system to the Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact for Europe

The session concluded with remarks from Ambassador Nicolas Sigalas, President of the GR-SOC, Permanent Representative of Greece to the Council of Europe.

The event helped to increase knowledge of the European Social Charter system among representatives of the member states and provided an opportunity to reflect on its continued implementation and future development.