The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) was introduced in 2014 with the aim of tackling the high numbers of people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the EU. At the time of adoption of the FEAD Regulation, almost 118 million people were at risk of poverty or social...

Gezielte staatliche Investitionen und Beihilfen für klimafreundliche wirtschaftliche Tätigkeit werden eingesetzt, um Nachhaltigkeitsziele zu erreichen und Umweltschutz zu fördern. Bei der Nachhaltigkeitstransformation sollten jedoch soziale Kriterien nicht aus dem Blickfeld geraten. Deshalb...

This report contains a case study for the Study supporting the Impact assessment of the future European Social Fund proposal. Achieving structural change: conditions for success in the areas of ESF intervention. The reform under assessment focuses on "Reinforcing social protection, especially...

Europe's labour and social institutions need urgent reform in order to grasp the opportunities offered by globalisation and avoid the threats. But the notion of a single 'European social model' is largely unhelpful for thinking about reforms. Of the four main models operating in Europe, the...

Addressing labour shortages and bolstering the sustainability of labour supply in the EU require increased labour force participation alongside combating unemployment and underemployment. This report analyses the 51 million EU residents (aged 20-64) outside the workforce. It identifies women,...

The reform of the European fiscal rules came into force on 30 April 2024. The new rules, like the former ones, impose a depressive bias on domestic fiscal policies, leaving Member States' no fiscal room for manoeuvre. At the same time, the European Pillar of Social Rights sets ambitious targets...

While the poverty risks of non‐standard employment have been explored extensively, this study focuses on the role of activation‐oriented social policy in alleviating material deprivation for persons with non‐standard employment histories. Using EU‐SILC data, individuals over a...

Discrimination based on disability is prohibited by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. As State Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), all EU Member States recognise the rights of all persons with disabilities to live in their communities...

The European Social Fund (ESF) is the European Union's main instrument for investing in people. In 2014- 2022, the fund helped Member States progress towards achieving the EU's 2030 headline targets in employment, training and poverty reduction.

This edition of the Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review examines patterns and developments of social convergence in the EU over the last decade, showing important catching-up trends among Member States. It discusses the role of social investment in supporting social and...

A competitive and sustainable economy with a high level of employment is the basis for the European economic and social model which also contributes to better economic and social convergence. Enhancing productivity based on skills and knowledge is the only sound recipe for maintaining the...

This document seeks to provide input, albeit not comprehensive, to the Global Coalition for Social Justice. It highlights key messages from EESC opinions on the six priority areas identified by the International Labour Organization (ILO) for immediate action: 1. Addressing inequality,...

This document seeks to provide input, albeit not comprehensive, to the Global Coalition for Social Justice. It highlights key messages from EESC opinions on the six priority areas identified by the International Labour Organization (ILO) for immediate action: 1. Addressing inequality,...

The European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) was adopted at the 2017 Gothenburg Social Summit. It sets the ambitions of strengthening the social dimension of the EU and covers 20 key principles and rights essential for fair and well-functioning labour markets and social protection systems. - The...

A strong Social Europe is about people and their well-being. Europe is home to the most equal societies in the world, with the highest standards in working conditions and broad social protection. This unique model is pivotal for Europe's social and economic resilience, delivering well-being for...

In 2019, the European Union set a new, ambitious course towards a fair and inclusive Europe that protects its citizens and creates opportunities. At the 2021 Porto Social Summit, EU leaders, institutions and social partners agreed to put social at the heart of our policies. We set three EU-wide...

The original full study reviews the potential of the European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS) as a tool for the enforcement of labour and social security rights. It first explains the initiative's background, discussing how the current conceptualisation of ESSPASS links with other EU...

In 2019, the European Union set a new, ambitious course towards a fair and inclusive Europe that protects its citizens and creates opportunities. At the 2021 Porto Social Summit, EU leaders, institutions and social partners agreed to put social at the heart of our policies. We set three EU-wide...

The format of this report was established for the 2021 Semester, as part of the work programme of the Commission's European Disability Expertise (EDE) network and building on previous work by the Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED) project. This updated report provides a...

This edition of the Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review examines patterns and developments of social convergence in the EU over the last decade, showing important catching-up trends among Member States. It discusses the role of social investment in supporting social and...

This edition of the Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review examines patterns and developments of social convergence in the EU over the last decade, showing important catching-up trends among Member States. It discusses the role of social investment in supporting social and...

The EU committed to meet the poverty reduction target set in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, which entails to reduce the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 5 million by 2030. The paper assesses the impact of child-contingent cash support in EU-27 in...

Drawing on a wide array of sources and literature, this study examines the role of the European Parliament in the establishment of the European Community's social policy. It argues that Parliament played a key role in placing this nascent policy issue on the agenda. It influenced the definition...

All OECD countries except the United States offer at least four months of paid maternity leave, and the average duration of mandated paid maternity leave has increased steadily from 1970 to the present. There is some evidence that paid leave policies above a certain duration negatively impact...

Between 1969 and 1993, a genuine ‘European welfare state’ was forged at the level of the European Economic Community (EEC), even though this expression was not used per se. After a definition of the welfare state as a three-pronged set of policies, the article develops first the flourishing...

The concept of "Social Europe" encompasses the European Union's social policy framework. This paper argues that the financial crisis of 2007-2009, the subsequent Euro crisis, and the ensuing austerity measures diverted significant attention away from Social Europe. This neglect led to declining...

All OECD countries except the United States offer at least four months of paid maternity leave, and the average duration of mandated paid maternity leave has increased steadily from 1970 to the present. There is some evidence that paid leave policies above a certain duration negatively impact...

Social Europe is back on the political agenda - as a result of severe economic crises, prior austerity policies and a change in the European discourse framework. Six years after being announced, the European Pillar of Social Rights - although legally non-binding - has become the central...

This chapter engages with the tensions and contradictions of EU citizenship by introducing the status as a double-edged sword for European social security. Reviewing both law and practice in the Member States, the chapter argues that EU citizenship continues to create extra layers of protection...

This study considers the potential of the European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS) as a tool for the enforcement of labour and social security rights. It explains the challenges in social security coordination and considers whether the current conceptualisation of ESSPASS can alleviate these...