Towards a European pillar of social rights : upgrading the EU social 'acquis'

Publication Date: 11 January 2017The European Commission has recently launched a ‘European Pillar of Social Rights’. The Pillar consists of a broad range of social principles. The European Union’s social acquis, comprised of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Treaty provisions, legislation and case law, already provides a floor of social rights, protecting workers’ health and safety, equal treatment and job security. However, several lacunae in, and challenges to, the EU social acquis currently exist, relating to its scope of protection, its effective enforcement and its possible conflict with other EU rights, such as the Charter’s freedom to conduct a business. As a contribution to the consultation on the Pillar initiative, we have reflected on how these lacunae can be addressed and the EU social acquis strengthened to enhance the ability to live up to citizens’ expectations that the Union indeed aims at the ‘well-being of its people’ (Art.3(1) TEU). This policy brief contributes to the much-needed broad reflection on ‘social Europe’ through a focused and realistic fourfold proposal for adopting (1) a Directive for the Protection of Dependent Workers, ensuring the application of the existing EU social and labour law measures to all dependent workers (2) a Protection against Precarious Work Directive, (3) a Directive for the Enforcement of Workers Rights and (4) a Declaration safeguarding the integrity of the social acquis as an EU floor for worker protection