Event report

Treaty change must be on the table in the Conference of the Future of Europe if the process is to have a meaningful outcome. The Conference must move past institutional “process” which has caused delays and focus on delivering “ambitious content” that can reconnect Europe with working people. This is a fundamental moment in the history of the European union, to shape a fairer European Union that takes care of its people. European citizens and workers expect the Conference to deliver. It cannot be only about process. We need ambitious content. We need to push for a radical change. Radical change of our economic model - moving from an economy that serves profits to a social market economy as stated in the treaties. A model that benefits people, that goes behind GDP, beyond blind fiscal to build wellbeing and better opportunities, equality and inclusion for all. Only through this radical change will we be able to defend the European project. The 15 ETUC proposals were presented and discussed. They reflect the concerns of working people, ranging from raising pay through ensuring the respect of the right to collective bargaining to a climate transition that’s fair to workers in affected industries. They also include a social progress protocol to ensure freedoms for companies are never again placed over social rights of working people, as was the case in the notorious Laval and Viking cases which opened the door to social dumping across Europe. Treaty changes should be considered in the Conference. First of all to unblock the paralysis of unanimity and the obsession of subsidiarity. To move to a more integrated and ambitious EU that requires qualified majority voting on more crucial issues including on economic and social policy. If treaty changes will be possible a social progress protocol must also be included to guarantee that social rights take precedence over economic freedoms in the event of a conflict. This was the case in the past - that we have enormous conflicts between these two levels of rights and unfortunately social rights were always defeated or put in a secondary position. It’s really time to change this. It is also necessary for the European Social Pillar to become a building block of our social market economy.