The European Pillar of Social Rights: An Analysis

At the Social Summit in Gothenburg, on November 17th, 2017, the European Parliament, the Council and European Commission adopted the "European Pillar of Social Rights" (EPSR). It consists of 20 very generally formulated social policy (in the broadest sense of the word) principles which have been adopted in the form of a legally non-binding joint proclamation. The principles are formulated as social rights of individuals against the member states (Höpner 2017; Rasnaèa 2017, p. 17 onwards). The member states shall comply with these principles and implement them in national legislation. Furthermore, the principles shall be substantiated by legislative initiatives at EU level. The objectives that the Commission pursues with the EPSR are extremely ambitious. The pillar shall serve as a compass for a renewed process of convergence towards better working and living conditions in Europe (Rasnaèa 2017, p.13). Through the EPSR, the Commission is sending the signal that it has recognized the importance of Europe's social dimension. The Commission's initiative has to be seen before the background of the ongoing social problems in Europe, especially in some countries of the Eurozone. This WSI Policy Brief analyses and evaluates the European Pillar of Social Rights with regard to its impact on national and European policies.