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‘Going forward together’ is the theme of today’s European Commission conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Pillar is the Commission’s attempt to create the social ‘triple A’ rating that its president, Jean-Claude Juncker, set as a goal of his term in office. Its success is hinged on whether the EU puts social rights at the heart of its work. This is why it is important to recall the importance of three core principles that form the backbone of social models and from which the twenty domains identified by the Commission are actually derived: quality employment, adequate income support, and access to quality, affordable and accessible services.

These standards are enshrined in European and international law, and ought to form the basis of any proposal for a European Pillar of Social Rights. They should not be overshadowed by an overwhelming focus on the risks and opportunities linked to digitalisation and new forms of employment; even though these evolutions are important, they should not take precedence over these principles.

If it ensures that everybody in the European Union is protected by adequate social standards, the Pillar could reverse the race to the bottom that people residing in the EU have witnessed in recent years.

Firstly, quality employment encompasses several important dimensions such as security of contracts, work-life balance, and adequate minimum wages. A commonly agreed benchmark in this regard is 60% of the national median wage threshold. A study from Eurofound, an EU agency that works towards the improvement of working and living conditions in Europe, demonstrates that minimum wages set at this level would raise the earnings of a majority of the working poor in most EU member states.

Secondly, adequate income support goes beyond the provision of adequate work remuneration. For people who are not working and do not get income support from other sources, minimum income schemes are essential to live a life in dignity, support their full participation in society and ensure their independence across the life cycle.

Finally, access to quality, affordable and accessible services is the third foundation of comprehensive economic and social models. Care, social, health, housing, education and life-long learning services all contribute to decent living conditions and well-being for people in the EU.

Even though they cover different aspects of our social models, these three elements must rest on a common value: universality.

Every worker, irrespective of his or her type of contract, should receive remuneration equivalent to at least the level of an adequate minimum wage; every person  not working and not getting income support from other sources should be entitled to a guaranteed minimum income set at an adequate level; and everyone should have access to quality, affordable and accessible services.

Keeping these principles at the core of the European Pillar of Social Rights will be essential to make it a real step forward for the European project and to rebuild the trust of European citizens in their institutions. I’m looking forward to a fruitful debate at today’s conference, where I hope we can reach a consensus that going forward together must depend on prioritising these social rights alongside economic policies.

Warm wishes,

Jana Hainsworth, President