Today, the Commission and the European cross-industry social partners signed a new Pact for European Social Dialogue which will strengthen the role of social partners in shaping labour market, employment, and social policies. In a time of global transformation, the new Pact addresses the key challenges faced by European economies and builds on the 2024 Val Duchesse Social Partner Declaration (see background).
Social dialogue is an integral part of our European social model and plays a crucial role in keeping European enterprises competitive, increasing their productivity, providing quality jobs, and ensuring social fairness. Social dialogue remains an essential tool to ensuring that labour markets adapt to the digital and climate transitions and workers are equipped with the right skills.
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “In a changing world, Europe must change too. But when technologies shift, when industries evolve, it is our social dialogue that ensures fairness and sustainable success. It turns disruptive innovation into progress for all. It keeps the wellbeing of competitive companies and workers at the heart of everything we do. With the signing of the European Pact for Social Dialogue we put the social partners and the social dialogue at the heart of European decision-making.”
The new Pact establishes a long-term framework with concrete actions to be taken by the Commission and social partners to strengthen, expand the scope of social dialogue, and promote a stronger consultation of social partners.
In particular, the Commission will:
- Appoint a European Social Dialogue Envoy. The Envoy will promote timely and meaningful consultations of social partners and channel concerns about social dialogue at national level to the EU institutions, hereby improving awareness of social dialogue within the Commission.
- Work together with social partners on a Quality Jobs Roadmap to be delivered in 2025.
- Exchange with social partners on their priorities regarding the Commission's Work Programme for the following year, ahead of its adoption.
- Create a mechanism to receive joint reports from the social partners on social dialogue at EU level.
- Consult social partners also on policy initiatives that do not fall under the scope of article 153 and 154 TFEU but are of particular relevance for social partners.
The European cross-industry social partners will regularly prepare a multi-annual work programme to address the key economic and social challenges facing European labour markets and identify the appropriate instruments to tackle these challenges. Social partners will also establish joint procedures to improve their autonomous bipartite social dialogue, including negotiations of social partner agreements, and work together on the different types of social dialogue tools used at EU level.
Quote(s)
- In a changing world, Europe must change too. But when technologies shift, when industries evolve, it is our social dialogue that ensures fairness and sustainable success. It turns disruptive innovation into progress for all. It keeps the wellbeing of competitive companies and workers at the heart of everything we do. With the signing of the European Pact for Social Dialogue we put the social partners and the social dialogue at the heart of European decision-making.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
- This Pact for European Social Dialogue is our joint commitment to strengthening the involvement of trade unions at a time when workers’ voices need to be heard more than ever. Social dialogue is a cornerstone of our European democracies and of our social market model. Strong social dialogue and collective bargaining empowers workers to shape their future and to deliver fair and sustainable economic growth, underpinned by quality jobs.
Esther Lynch, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
- The renewed commitment to strengthening European social dialogue is particularly important in this time of deep global transformations. For BusinessEurope, this Pact is about joining forces to improve the functioning of our labour markets and ensure the competitiveness of European businesses, higher productivity and quality jobs, decarbonise without deindustrialising and maintain good standards of living.
Fredrik Persson, President of BusinessEurope
- With this Pact, SGI Europe renews its commitment to shaping labour markets and social policies alongside the European Commission. We now stand ready to constructively engage with social partners on a new multi-annual work programme.
Pascal Bolo, President of SGI Europe
- The Pact paves the way for stronger dialogue among social partners and with the Commission, to jointly tackle labour market challenges in these turbulent times. Our SMEs must be heard, as they are at the heart of our communities, creating jobs and fostering social cohesion.
Petri Salminen, President of SMEunited
Background
The launch of a new Pact for Social Dialogue was first announced at the Val Duchesse Social Partners Summit in January 2024 where the European Commission, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, and European social partners signed a ‘Tripartite Declaration for a Thriving European Social Dialogue'. The Declaration pledged to enhance social dialogue at the EU level and continue collaboration with social partners when tackling the key challenges facing European economies and labour markets. The declaration also committed to promoting better working conditions, qualifications recognition, and labour market integration in Europe.
Social dialogue is enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and underlined by Principle 8 of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Pillar Action Plan. Articles 154-155 TFEU lay down the Commission's obligation to consult social partners on legislative proposals in the social policy field and allow them to negotiate agreements, that can be implemented through EU law.
The views cited in this text are those of the individual / organisation concerned and do not collectively constitute the point of view of the European Commission.
