Reporting system of the European Social Charter

The reporting system is formally governed by Articles 21-29 of the 1961 Charter.

In the framework of this monitoring system, States Parties regularly submit a report on the implementation of the Charter in law and in practice. These reports are examined by the European Committee of Social Rights, which decides whether the national situations they describe comply with the Charter. The decisions adopted by the European Committee of Social Rights in the framework of the reporting system, called "conclusions", are published every year. They can be consulted using the European Social Charter HUDOC Database. When the European Committee of Social Rights concludes that a situation is not in conformity, the State Party concerned has to bring the situation into conformity.

The follow-up of the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights is ensured by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which intervenes in the last stage of the Reporting System. Its work is prepared by the Governmental Committee of the European Social Charter and the European Code of Social Security, comprising representatives of the States parties to the Charter and assisted by observers representing European employers’ organisations and trade unions.

Having regard to the proposals made by the Governmental Committee, the Committee of Ministers adopts a Resolution closing each supervision cycle and may contain individual recommendations to the States parties concerned. If a State takes no action, the Committee of Ministers, on a proposal from the Governmental Committee, may address a Recommendation to that State, asking it to change the situation in law and/or in practice.

Ultimately, it falls to the European Committee of Social Rights to determine whether the situation has been brought into compliance with the Charter. This is done by the Committee in the framework of the reporting system or the collective complaints procedure.

More on the reporting system

National reports can be consulted on the country profiles web pages.

Please note that reports are published in the form they are submitted by States Parties that are responsible for their content.

European Committee of Social Rights targeted questions to States Parties of the European Social Charter relating to thematic group 4 on "children, families and migrants" for Conclusions 2023:

States are invited to report on thematic group 4 by 31 December 2022. States' reports will be examined by the European Committee of Social Rights in 2023. Consequently, trade unions, employers’ organisations, non-governmental organisations, national human rights institutions and national equality bodies are invited to submit their comments on national reports for this cycle by 30 June 2023.

Ad Hoc Reports

In accordance with the decision of the Ministers’ Deputies adopted on 27 September 2022 concerning the new system for the presentation of reports under the European Social Charter, the European Committee of Social Rights and the Governmental Committee have decided to request an ad hoc report on the cost-of-living crisis to all State parties.

The report should be sent in electronic form to [email protected]t, by 31 December 2023.

Questions

Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2022 (Labour rights)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2021 (Health, social security and social protection)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social RIghts 2020 (Employment, training and equal opportunities)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2019 (Children, family and migrants)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2018 (Labour rights)

The HUDOC Database of the European Social Charter allows users to make an in-depth research on the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights in the framework of the Reporting System, as well as on Resolutions and Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers in the framework of the follow-up procedure.

Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights on HUDOC

Resolutions and Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on HUDOC

The European Social Charter
a guardian of our social rights

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.