"We are here to renew the European Social Contract"

"We are here today to renew the European Social Contract, committing, each one at its own level, to develop innovative and inclusive responses to foster decent employment, qualifications, and social protection that is suited to the demands of our times", said the Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa at the opening session of the Porto Social Summit. 

António Costa added that the Summit brings together European political, trade union, corporate and society leaders "to give our citizens the trust and confidence they need to face the challenges of the twin [climate and digital] transition", and that it is "an excellent sign."

The Prime Minister offered as an example the closure of the Matosinhos oil refinery, which will "be a welcome contribution to reducing CO2 emissions", yet it also "cuts jobs for hundreds of workers" of the refinery and related activities, "who will be forced to move jobs or requalify for the new activities that will be developed in the area".

Strong Social Pillar

This example shows "the need to have a strong Social Pillar to fight inequality, create new jobs, and ensure the requalification and social protection in the [climate and digital] transition processes.

In fact, the European recovery of the economy and society "based on the twin climate and digital transition can only be successful if we become effectively stronger and more cohesive as societies, if we correct existing inequalities without creating new inequalities among the peoples or asymmetries among the territories", he highlighted.

António Costa recalled that "this was the ambition with which the Commission presented the draft Action Plan at the start of March, to ensure the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights set in Gothenburg in 2017".

An instrument for the future

"This Action Plan isn’t merely a response to the current situation. It is also an instrument for the future. Because the success of the climate and digital transition isn’t measured only in CO2 reductions or the improvement in competitiveness. It is also measured by the capacity to create more and better jobs, to invest in qualifications and innovation, to strengthen our social and well-being model", he claimed. 

The Prime Minister also stated that this "is a challenge for our societies as a whole and can only be beaten by mobilizing social partners, intensifying social dialogue and reinforcing collective bargaining".

"The significant mobilization" of European leaders, of the countries, the trade unions, the employer associations and societies "at such difficult times as the ones we are living" shows "the importance of the European social dimension", he noted. 

An excellent sign

Between the lunch meeting with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and before the start of the Summit, the Prime Minister stated at a press conference that "it is an excellent sign, in these times when travelling is so restricted, to bring together most European leaders, as well as leaders of the trade unions, the employer associations and civil society representatives".

"We are in proper condition to leave this meeting with a commitment to support the implementation of the social rights action plan" set in 2017, but which "we now need to set into motion, make it reach every European person, which is the goal of the action plan", he said.

António Costa mentioned that "this year we saw clearly the importance of having a strong social State and our social model to respond to dramatic situations", adding that "the fact we managed to place the social pillar at the centre of the European debate is a decisive step".

The fact that the action plan has "quantified commitments and targets, a mechanism to regularly evaluate these targets during the European semester – and not just assessing gross domestic product or the deficit, rather also employment and fighting poverty – is giving Europe an integrated vision of what a coordinated economic policy should be, which must have these goals in mind."