It is important to acknowledge that the EU already today has a strong social dimension. Considering the current lack of support for the EU from its citizens the focus should be on how to make EU citizens aware of this existing social Europe and how to inform EU citizens of the advantages of a highly competitive Single Market. Therefore, is the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) really the correct answer to the current climate and the changing world of work?

• It is important to acknowledge that the EU already today has a strong social dimension. Especially considering the current lack of support for the EU from its citizens our focus should be on how to make EU citizens aware of this existing social Europe and how to inform EU citizens of the advantages of a highly competitive Single Market, as well as the freedoms established within the EU. Any efforts to make the EU even more social have to be based on solid competitiveness of the industry to be sustainable.
• Clarity should be provided on what the EPSR is and what it will aim at, whether it is benchmark-setting to support member states national reforms or creating more social rights for EU citizens, or both. Either way, it should be borne in mind that social rights are already strongly embedded in EU law as well as at national level, and that social indicators already exist within the framework of the European Semester. Hence, the possible added value of a EPSR should be explained.
• The European Commission has to respect the EU’s competences and in particular its limits. The principle of Subsidiarity has to be respected. Also, the competences of the social partners and the role of social dialogue should not be devaluated.