by Britta Spilker Deutscher Verein für Öffentliche und private Fürsorge e.V.
From ICSW Europe Newsletter - 1/2024
In June 2024, citizens of the European Union will elect the members of the European Parliament for a new five-year term. In March, Social Platform – the platform of European Social NGOs – published its position paper “2024–2029 – A Vision for Social Europe”, demanding a renewed commitment to social progress by the European Union. As the largest, leading organisation working on social issues on the EU level, Social Platform advocates for prioritising social policy and putting people first, where initiatives that champion eradicating poverty, promoting progress and building inclusive societies are top of the policy agenda.
Representing tens of thousands of organisations and hundreds of millions of people in Europe – children, young and older people, women, LGBTI people, people with disabilities, undocumented migrants, Roma and others from persecuted ethnic or religious backgrounds, carers and the people that provide invaluable services to these people – Social Platform is calling for people to be at the heart of EU policy- making to guarantee social progress for the 2024– 2029 mandate of the European Parliament and of the new European Commission that also will come into office for a five-year term following the EP elections.
At the heart of the position paper's demands are five topics: the continued delivery of the European Pillar of Social Rights, a Framework Directive on Adequate Minimum Income, a Multiannual-Financial Framework that promotes social progress, a renewed and more social approach to the Just Transition to a climate- neutral society and a strengthened Civil Dialogue to ensure structured, regular and meaningful engagement of Civil Society in policy-making. Concerning the mandate and structure of the new European Commission, Social Platform asks for European Commissioners explicitly responsible for Social Rights, Equality, the Just Transition and the Social Economy as well as a Commission Vice- President specifically responsible for Civil Dialogue.
In addition to its own campaign and position paper, Social Platform draws attention to its members' manifestos, positions and demands for the 2024 EU elections:
https://www.socialplatform.org/what-we-do/ championing-social-rights-in-the-eu-elections-2024/
