Conference on the future of the protection of social rights in Europe

Brussels, 12-13 February 2015

Within the framework of the Belgian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe the Federal Public Service Social Security 2015 and the Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, organised on 12 and 13 February 2015 a high-level Conference on "The Future of the Protection of Social Rights in Europe" in Brussels.

The event offered a high-level exchange between academic experts, social partners, civil society organizations and representatives of international and political institutions.

Following the Turin Conference, the discussions resulted in the "Brussels Document", i.e. the synthesis of the conclusions reached by the sessions.

The "Brussels Document" has been handed over to the Belgium Chairmanship to provide input for the activities of the Council of Europe concerning social rights, with an updated and renewed view.

Programme (see also Dutch version)

Background paper (see also Dutch version)

Brussels' Document (see also Italian, German and Dutch versions)

Press release (see also Dutch version)

Speeches and statements delivered on the occasion of the Conference

Thursday 12 February 2015

OPENING SESSION:

Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner of Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility

Maggie De Block, Belgian Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health

SESSION I: REDEFINING THE WELFARE STATE AND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS: DEVELOPMENTS IN SOCIAL PROTECTION AND LABOUR LAW

Isabel Ortiz, Director Social Protection, International Labour Organization

Prof. Catherine Barnard, Cambridge University

SESSION II: GUARANTEE OF THE SOCIAL RIGHTS BY THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE : A BULWARK AGAINST THE CRISIS

Giuseppe Palmisano, President of the European Committee of Social Rights.

Prof. Paul Lemmens, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

SESSION III: GUARANTEE OF THE SOCIAL RIGHTS IN A BROADER CONTEXT

Prof. Koen Lenaerts, Vice-President of the Court of Justice of the European Union

Virginia Bras Gomes, UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Member of the Committee

Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director, ILO International Labour Standards Department

Friday 13 October 2015

Synthesis of the first day, by François Vandamme, Elected member of the European Committee of Social Rights

SESSION IV: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE IN THE AREA

Prof. Jeff Kenner, Chair of European Law, University of Nottingham: The role of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in the protection of social rights and a member of the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC)

Prof. Olivier De Schutter, Member of the Scientific Committee of the EU Fundamental Rights, Agency and Member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: The relationship between the European Union and the Council of Europe with regard to social rights: review of the present situation and future prospects

SESSION V: CONCLUSIONS

Michele Nicoletti, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, General Rapporteur of the Conference of Turin

Kris Peeters, Belgian Vice-Prime Minister, and Minister of Employment, Economy and Consumers, in charge of External Trade and announcement of the “Brussels Document” on the future of the protection of fundamental social rights in Europe.

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS:

Pierre Baussand, Director of Social Platform

Georges de Kerchove, representative of ATD Quart Monde

Date: 12-13 February 2015

Location: Auditorium Pacheco, Brussels

Organiser: Council of Europe, Belgian Federal Public Service Social Security, Belgian Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue in the framework of the Belgian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe

The European Social Charter
a guardian of our social rights

Turin process

Indietro Reinforcing social rights protection in Europe: to achieve greater unity and equality

Expert seminar

The Department of the European Social Charter organised, under the auspices of the French Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, an expert seminar to discuss the protection of social rights in Europe so as to achieve greater unity and equality. The seminar also followed up on the Committee of Ministers declaration at its Helsinki session in May 2019. At that session, the Committee of Ministers invited all the member States concerned to consider signing and ratifying the revised European Social Charter and its Additional Protocol providing for a system of collective complaints, as a starting point for a resolutely proactive and collective drive to combat inequalities and achieve greater social justice.

The European Social Charter and the European Committee of Social rights guarantee key principles such as free movement of persons, non-discrimination, legal and social security, protection against poverty and exclusion, access to decent housing, health, education and training, as well as employment, safety at work and equality at the workplace, including equal pay.

Participants were welcomed by Ambassador Jean-Baptiste Mattéi, Ambassador of France to the Council of Europe, and Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. An introduction on strengthening social rights to ensure social justice, national cohesion and the rule of law was pronounced by José Fernandez-Albertos, Researcher at Institute for Policies and Public Goods, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

The seminar was organised in liaison with the “Institut de recherche Carré de Malberg”, University of Strasbourg.