Newsflash - 5 February 2021

SGI Europe response to the public consultation on the revision of the ETS

On 5 February, SGI Europe submitted its position to the European Commission’s public consultation on the revision of the Emission Trading System (ETS). SGI Europe welcomes the Commission’s ambition to strengthen the ETS as one of the main European instruments to fight climate change. It has already been improved via the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) to reduce emissions and deliver a CO2 price encouraging investment in low carbon technologies. However, additional measures are needed to achieve the new 2030 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction target. This will ensure that ETS is really providing a fair carbon price and creating a level-playing field for all technologies to incentivise investments that foster decarbonisation.

Contact: Henriette Gleau

Report and recommendations on strengthening EU social dialogue published by the European Commission

On Wednesday 3 February, Andrea Nahles, Special Advisor on Social Dialogue to Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, presented her report on strengthening EU social dialogue. Building up on meetings with and contributions from social partners, Ms Nahles highlights in this report the main issues at stake and proposes a set of recommendations and initiatives that will feed the Action Plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Key proposals include:

• create a new award for innovative social dialogue and a new programme for young future leaders of social partner organisations;
• step up the involvement of social partners in the European Semester, including the national Recovery and Resilience Plans;
• improve the consultation of social partners on new Commission initiatives by appointing in each Directorate General a social dialogue coordinator;
• review the workings of the Tripartite Social Summit and the Social Dialogue Committee;
• establish a transparent process based on clear criteria on how the Commission will handle future requests from EU social partners to implement their agreements into EU law;
• promote national registries for collective agreements;
• provide additional and targeted support for national social partners;
• set-up a platform for the exchange of best practices on social dialogue with the support of the Commission;
• invite social partners to have more dialogue on future oriented subjects.

You can consult the report here.

Contact: Guillaume Afellat

Diesis Dissemination Conference of the Labour-INT 2 project on 11 February

Thursday 11 February 2021, 09:30 – 12:30 CET
Register for the webinar here
Draft agenda

In the framework of the multi-stakeholders EU co-financed project Labour-INT 2, the Diesis Dissemination Conference will take place online on Thursday 11 February 2021, 09:30 – 12:30.

The Conference is aimed at disseminating results and promoting the Labour-Int model in Central and Eastern Europe, with a special focus on social economy enterprises as tools for developing integration facilities for asylum-seekers in transit-countries.

This event is organised by Diesis Network with the participation of project partners and social economy organisations of Central and Eastern Europe. The event targets various countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Poland and The Czech Republic, Hungary and the Balkans. Experts from academia and civil society and other stakeholders will participate as guests or speakers.

The Conference will enable social – employer and trade union representatives, economic partners and public authorities from different levels (EU, national, regional, local) to work together. It will also help to achieve a stronger visibility and impact of the action at transnational level, enlarging the geographic scope of the project.

Contact: Ștefan Enică

Upcoming Action Plan of the European Commission to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights

On 3 March 2021, the European Commission is expected to put forward its Action plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Together with the Social Summit announced for 7 and 8 May 2021, the Action Plan is a great opportunity to take a further step towards a resilient, sustainable and fair European Union. As a European social partner, SGI Europe is fully committed to the further implementation of the Pillar, which can serve as a key tool to build a stronger and more resilient European social market economy.

Building on what was done so far, the Action Plan will highlight different key actions and potential areas for actions across all relevant policy areas to further implement the 20 principles of the Pillar during the 2019-2024 mandate. Key initiatives have already been announced, including an update of the new Industrial Strategy, a new Framework Strategy on Occupational Health and Safety, a consultation of social partners on platform work, and a Social Economy Action Plan and new Disability Strategy. The Action Plan will announce some new initiatives and will suggest further avenues for policy action with a 2030 time horizon and will invite Member States, social partners and other stakeholders to also commit to action within their sphere of competence.

Contact: Guillaume Afellat

European Council agrees its position on the Conference on the Future of Europe

On 3 February, the Permanent Representatives Committee of the European Council agrees its position on the Conference on the Future of Europe. This decision opens the door to the interinstitutional negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Commission, which should lead to a joint declaration by the 3 institutions defining the structure, scope and timeline for the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Since the publication of the first proposals by the European Commission in January 2020, SGI Europe has been calling for the Conference to give back ownership and trust about the EU project, and for involving all institutions, consultative bodies, social partners and the civil society across Europe to prevent the Conference on the Future of Europe from being an exercise ‘by the EU Bubble for the EU Bubble’.

Listed as one of her political priorities, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen brought the Conference on the Future of Europe, originally a proposal of French President Emmanuel Macron, into the political debate in the summer of 2019. She suggested a two-year process from 2020 to 2022, in which EU citizens “play a leading and active part in building the future of our Union. “

HOSPEEM-EPSU Webinar on musculoskeletal disorders in the health sector

From evidence to practice – Exchange between social partners and the way forward

25 February 2021, 11:00 – 13:00 CET
Register for the webinar here
Draft agenda

The webinar, organised jointly by the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association (HOSPEEM) and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), aims to exchange practices of national sectoral social partners from the health sector to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) at the workplace. Participants will be able to provide input to the EU level social partners on the envisioned update on the Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention.

The Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector put its work and commitment on occupational safety and health (OSH) and in particular (MSD) in the top and centre of its Work Programme 2020-2022. Firstly, by updating its Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention with findings and practices from national social partners in the field of OSH, secondly by becoming EU-OSHA Healthy Workplace Campaign partners focusing on MSD; and thirdly by continuing to exchange on the relevance of the current regulatory framework on MSD at European level. Besides, HOSPEEM and EPSU have facilitated the development of the EU-OSHA discussion paper on MSD in the healthcare sector, which outlines the latest findings on MSD in the sector.

Contact: HOSPEEM