The High-Level Conference on the European Social Charter, as a step to take further commitments under the Charter where possible, is organised as part of the follow-up to the Fourth Summit of the Council of Europe. The Conference was proposed in the Reykjavik Declaration by the Heads of State and Government who stated that “Social justice is crucial for democratic stability and security and in this regard [reaffirmed their] full commitment to the protection and implementation of social rights as guaranteed by the European Social Charter system.”

The Conference will be organised under the auspices of the Presidency of Lithuania to the Committee of Ministers and will be hosted in Vilnius by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the Minister of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania.

The High-Level Conference will bring together Ministers and senior officials competent in the field of social rights and social policy, representatives of Council of Europe entities, including the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights. Other expected participants include representatives from the European Commission, the Fundamental Rights Agency, the International Labour Organisateion, the United Nations, etc., as well as representatives from civil society, social partners, academia, and National Human Rights Institutions and Equality Bodies—or their pan-European networks. The members of the Governmental Committee and the European Committee of Social Rights will also participate in the Conference.

To respond to the Reykjavik Declaration, the High-Level Conference will allow Ministers to discuss contemporary social rights challenges. They will also be able to reaffirm the crucial importance of the Charter and its monitoring procedures, including the collective complaints procedure, as vectors of good governance. They will also have the opportunity to express support for the realisation of social rights in view of their relevance in preventing democratic backsliding.

It will be possible to sign or deposit instruments taking further commitments under the Charter during a dedicated treaty event.

The Committee of Ministers’ recent decisions on reform deferred discussions on certain issues, for example possible treaty developments (new rights, such as the right to a safe and healthy environment, and amending the personal scope) and accession by the European Union to the Charter as well as other issues which could be revisited in the future. In Vilnius, Ministers will have the opportunity to continue the discussion on these issues with a view to further strengthening the Charter system and promoting the Charter implementation.

Finally, the participating Ministers will be invited to adopt a forward-looking political declaration reflecting their commitment to social rights and to the European Social Charter, proposing any further action they consider necessary or desirable.