EuroHealthNet Contribution to the Action plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights
EuroHealthNet recognises the commitment to the action plan to fully implement the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and the progress that has been made. However, the political, societal, health and economic context has changed dramatically with the COVID-19 crisis. The EPSR will need to be strengthened to guide EC and Member States’ work, as has been demonstrated in the Joint Report by EuroHealthNet and the EU Joint Action for Health and Equity (JAHEE) on the 2020 European Semester for economic, social and sustainable governance, in which the EPSR plays an important role.
Our report, in addition to other substantial evidence, has shown the need for a stronger Action Plan to be implemented from 2021. The current fragility of many social rights has been exposed by the pandemic of infectious and non-communicable diseases, in the context of persistent and growing social and health inequalities. EuroHealthNet has been involved in promoting and developing the EPSR since its initiation. But the new paradigm requires new efforts to recover from the economic and social consequences of COVID-19 impacts, towards greener, fairer and more equitable societies, taking into account the opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation. The Action Plan to implement the EPSR will be a vital vehicle to outline further policy initiatives that can support the implementation of its 20 principles.
Therefore, EuroHealthNet gave recommendations and evidence in the most relevant aspects from our perspective, guided by the questions posed in the public consultation.
The feedback in full can be found here.
