EFNA is starting a new, members-exclusive service, called ‘Policy Bites’ which will bring together policy news of significance and relevance to EFNA and its members. This month, the Policy Bites articles will be available from the EFNA.net website, giving our audience a taste of what’s to come.
From next month, however, the ezine will be delivered to our members only. You can find out more about membership here.

 

One year ago, EU leaders gathered in Gothenburg to proclaim the European Pillar of Social Rights. It is a political commitment to putting the social agenda back at the centre of European policy-making, following years of austerity and their negative impact on workers and other citizens.

One year on, the EC has done important work by proposing important initiatives seeking to improve the work-life balance of parents and carers, to ensure that all workers can have greater transparency and predictability about their working conditions, and for a European Labour Authority which would contribute to fair labour mobility and help to address social dumping.

These proposals could be considerably watered down during the current negotiations between the European Parliament and the Member States’ governments. Effective implementation of the Social Pillar also means that social measures must be properly financed in the EU’s future budget for 2021-2027. Therefore it would be important for the Commission to adopt strong proposals to improve working people’s lives, before the European elections in May 2019.