Social Policy in the EU

News and information about the European Union's social policies.

EU sets out principles for a social dimension — 27 April 2017, 15:50 CET

The EU Commission set out its 'Pillar of Social Rights' Wednesday, setting out principles relating to labour markets and welfare systems and aiming at improving working and living conditions in Europe.

EU guidelines for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child — 06 March 2017, 22:32 CET

The EU Council adopted on 6 March 2017 a revision of the 2007 EU guidelines for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. The guidelines recall international standards on the rights of the child and provide comprehensive guidance as well as concrete ways to promote effectively and protect the rights of the child. With these guidelines, the EU reaffirms its commitment to the comprehensive protection and promotion of the rights of the child in its external human rights policy.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting — 06 February 2017, 17:43 CET

The European Union has actively participated in international cooperation to promote the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. Discussion on Female Genital Mutilation is included in human rights and political dialogues with partner countries and in annual dialogues with civil society organisations.

European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 — 02 February 2017, 17:56 CET

The European Commission presented on 2 February its Progress Report on implementation of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020.

Social rights: EU prepares to address citizens' disconnect — 23 January 2017, 17:56 CET

More "fairness and social justice in Europe" is the aim of of the European Commission as it prepared next steps towards a European Pillar of Social Rights Monday at a high level conference in Brussels.

Evaluation of European Social Fund 2007-2013 — 06 January 2017, 14:03 CET

The European Commission has published an evaluation report of investments under the European Social Fund (ESF) during the 2007-2013 period, with specific reports for each EU Member State.

Fairer rules promised in EU benefits shake-up — 15 December 2016, 15:50 CET

The EU Commission unveiled an overhaul of social security rules Wednesday, acknowledging a Brexit campaign which highlighted 'benefits tourism' as a major concern of voters.

Public websites to be accessible to all — 27 October 2016, 12:25 CET

The websites of hospitals, courts and other public sector bodies will have to be made accessible to disabled and elderly people, under new EU-wide rules approved by the European Parliament on Wednesday.

Gender employment gap costs Europe EUR 370 bn per year — 13 October 2016, 22:36 CET

The total cost of a lower female employment rate in the European Union - more than 10 per cent lower than the male equivalent - is EUR 370 billion, according to a report from Eurofound.

EU proposes ban on new psychoactive substance — 01 September 2016, 00:15 CET

The European Commission proposed Wednesday to subject the new psychoactive substance MDMB-CHMICA, sometimes referred to as 'Black Mamba', to control measures across the European Union.

Better social statistics for a social Europe — 25 August 2016, 01:00 CET

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Regulation on new, integrated ways to collect and use data from social surveys so as to better support policy making in general and social policy in particular.

Cross-border family disputes: new proposals to protect children — 01 July 2016, 00:59 CET

New proposals covering cross-border parental responsibility disputes were set out by the European Commission Thursday, relating to custody, access rights and child abduction.

More effort needed on Roma integration: EU report — 01 July 2016, 16:09 CET

The European Commission has called for renewed commitment to ensuring equal opportunities and Roma inclusion, after adopting its annual report on Roma integration on Tuesday.

Nearly 16,000 victims of trafficking in the EU — 19 May 2016, 17:14 CET

15,846 women, men, girls and boys were registered as victims of trafficking in the EU, according to a report presented Thursday by the European Commission on progress in the fight against trafficking in human beings.

Hate crime: compendium of good practices — 28 April 2016, 22:02 CET

The compendium of good practices collates practices for combating hate crime from across the EU, with a step-by-step description of the practice broken down by country and category. The aim of the compendium is to help policymakers and practitioners such as law enforcement officers understand what is being done elsewhere in the EU to combat hate crime, and which elements could be adapted for use in their own national contexts. The owner of this compendium, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), maintains this section of the website to enhance public access to information about and related to hate crime recording and reporting practices in EU Member States. The practices listed have been submitted by members of the Working Party on Improving Reporting and Recording of Hate Crime in the EU who alone are responsible for the content. FRA accepts no responsibility or liability with regard to the information on this section of the website.

European Pillar of Social Rights website — 26 April 2017, 18:17 CET

The European Pillar of Social Rights sets out a number of key principles and rights to support fair and well-functioning labour markets and welfare systems. It will serve as a compass for a renewed process of convergence towards better working and living conditions among participating member states. It is primarily conceived for the euro area, but is applicable to all member states wishing to participate. There are 3 main categories of the pillar: Equal opportunities and access to labour market; Fair working conditions; Social protection and inclusion.

Public consultation on the European Pillar of Social Rights — 10 March 2016, 18:20 CET

The European Commission presented on 8 March a first, preliminary outline of the European Pillar of Social Rights announced by President Juncker in September last year, and launched a broad public consultation.

Gender equality — 10 March 2016, 16:47 CET

Equality between women and men is one of the European Union's founding values. It goes back to 1957 when the principle of equal pay for equal work became part of the Treaty of Rome. The European Union's achievements in fostering equality between women and men have focused on treatment legislation; mainstreaming (integration of the gender perspective into all other policies); measures for the advancement of women.

EU gender equality intiatives — 08 March 2016, 15:02 CET

On International Women's Day 2016, here are the priorities of the European Commission in terms of gender equality.

2015 Employment and Social Developments in Europe Review — 21 January 2016, 15:43 CET

The Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review is an annual review of the latest employment and social trends, reflecting on upcoming challenges and possible policy responses.

International Day for the elimination of Violence against women — 25 November 2015, 00:04 CET

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134). The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden.

2015 Pension Adequacy Report — 05 October 2015, 23:49 CET

A new report shows that EU’s pension systems can be expected to deliver adequate pensions to future generations of retirees provided strong policies to enable workers to stay in jobs until they reach the statutory pension age are pursued.

New framework for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment — 22 September 2015, 23:48 CET

The European Commission and the European External Action Service adopted on 20 September a new framework for the EU's activities on gender equality and women's empowerment in EU's external relations.

Long-term unemployment: Commission guidance to EU Member States — 17 September 2015, 18:29 CET

The European Commission proposed on 17 September guidance to Member States to better help long-term unemployed return to work.

Simplifying access to European Structural and Investment Funds — 09 June 2015, 20:39 CET

The European Commission announced on 9 June its intention to create a High Level Group on simplification. Its aim is to reduce the administrative burden for beneficiaries to access the five European Structural and Investment Funds– the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.