Published in 2021, the first European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan set concrete measures for building a strong social Europe as a way to foster Covid-19 recovery and just transitions. Its upcoming revision brings back the attention to the European social model and how this can support the green transition. We explored with Sebastiano Sabato, Senior Researcher at the European Social Observatory, how the link between social and ecological dimensions can be strengthened in the EU policy landscape to advance just transitions.
1. The European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) presents 20 principles divided into three main categories: equal opportunities and access to the labour markets, fair working conditions, and social protection and inclusion. In the European Green Deal, the EPSR is also identified as a guide to ensure that no one is left behind in the green transition. What is the role of social policy in supporting green transformation?
Social policy has a key role in supporting the green transition from different perspectives: as a benchmark, for consensus-building, as a buffer and as an enabler. First of all, the social rights included in the EPSR can be seen as a benchmark to ensure that transition policies also advance social rights. Secondly, social policy is important not only from a normative standpoint, but also from a practical one: welfare state institutions, such as social dialogue, can be venues to develop shared strategies for the transition of specific companies or sectors, and address emerging conflicts early on. This can both improve transition policies and ensure the buy-in of those affected.
Crucially, social policies can act as a buffer, protecting and compensating people from adverse risks of transitions, while also acting as enablers of the green transition. For example, skills development policies can ensure that the workforce has the right skills for a cleaner economy; housing policies can support the provision of both sustainable and affordable housing; and policies for greening social infrastructure can contribute to reducing emissions.
2. In 2021, the EPSR Action Plan laid out concrete initiatives to turn EPSR principles into actions and build a ‘Strong Social Europe for just transitions and recovery’. Was it successful in integrating the social and ecological dimension in EU policy for a just transition?
Not really. The 2021 EPSR Action Plan presents some general statements on the need to adapt welfare states and social policies to new realities, including the green transition, the digital transition and demographic changes. But apart from these, there are only a few piecemeal references to policy areas linking green and social concerns (i.e. energy poverty, green skills and the role of social dialogue in the green transition). There are no concrete provisions on implementation, and especially not on the governance arrangements needed to ensure that social and environmental policies are put forward in an integrated way.
Even though neither the Pillar nor the Action Plan have an integrated eco-social dimension at their core, the EU still took some actions in this direction, an important example being the Social Climate Fund. However, the weak link between the EPSR and the green transition agenda has resulted in an EU Just Transition framework that lacks consistency and comprehensiveness.
Under the 2024 Belgian presidency, national ministers met to discuss how to advance the implementation of the EPSR in the future, releasing the La Hulpe Declaration. This Declaration, as with the first EPSR Action Plan, only presents generic references on ensuring a just transition. This signals that an integrated socio-ecological perspective on the green transition is still missing and it is still not being discussed.
3. How could the link between social and environmental/climate policy be strengthened in the upcoming revision of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan?
First, we finally need this revision on the table to ensure a comprehensive framework for social policies. The Action Plan revision has been delayed and will be published only after several thematic strategies (e.g. the Union of Skills, the European Affordable Housing Plan and the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy). This casts doubt on the structure of the new Action Plan and if it can add to these sectoral strategies and ensure consistency between them, or if it will be just a repackaging. Ideally, new initiatives on the just transition should be included in the new Action Plan, comprising both non-legislative measures and legally binding initiatives, as we proposed in our analysis of the EPSR with Tommaso Grossi.
Non-legislative initiatives should aim at developing knowledge on eco-social policies. There are still many unknowns – for instance how effective different eco-social policies are. Attention should also be paid to integrate social and environmental indicators to measure the socio-ecological transition, and to the establishment of concrete ways of engaging stakeholders in the transition. Knowledge on eco-social policies could be advanced through the newly established European Fair Transition Observatory, while integrated eco-social indicators could be embedded and monitored in the European Semester.
Furthermore, the Action Plan needs to propose specific, legally binding initiatives, such as revising EU Directives on safety and health at work by taking into account the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation. We also propose some ideas such as an ‘enhanced’ job guarantee, including targeted action and funds for territories and sectors more vulnerable to the transition. And most importantly, it should entail a commitment in going forward with an EU Just Transition Directive.
The views and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue.
