The Porto Social Summit took place on the 7 and 8 of May, organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council. It was a crucial instance for social rights in Europe where political impetus was given to the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan. During the meeting, a commitment was signed by the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Parliament, the Portuguese Prime Minister currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European social partners and civil society, represented by Social Platform – of which Eurodiaconia is a member.
In the joint commitment, signatories welcome the Action Plan and pledge to do their utmost to build a more inclusive and social Europe and to set in motion a strong, fair, and job-rich recovery. The commitment also includes the endorsement of the three Action Plan headline 2030 targets:
(1) At least 78% of people aged 20 to 64 should be in employment,
(2) At least 60% of all adults should participate in training every year,
(3) The number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion should be reduced by at least 15 million, including at least 5 million children.
Furthermore, the partners called on the EU Heads of State or Government to endorse the Action Plan and its headline targets and to set ambitious national targets.
During the Summit, three workshops took place where members of the Social Platform had the chance to take the floor, including our Secretary-General, Ms. Heather Roy who had a brilliant intervention in the welfare state and social protection workshop. We will soon publish a short blog piece on her contribution.
You can read the full Porto Social Commitment here.