It is clear from the guidelines that the development of working life and the implementation of the Pillar of Social Rights will be at the core of the work done in Brussels also during the upcoming five-year period. What remains to be seen is the exact form of the initiatives and the proposals’ level of ambition.
This week, Finland is hosting a lively discussion on the EU at the Europe Forum in Turku. Lively policy work continued in Brussels during the Finnish holiday season. In July, the new Parliament organised itself into political groups and elected Ursula von der Leyen as the President for another term. The Commission’s policy guidelines that will guide its work for the next five years were presented at the session.
The priorities include strengthening European competitiveness, the future of the climate policy, and European security and defence. Guiding themes include simplifying regulation and removing barriers to business. The climate targets will be maintained, but the focus will shift to the implementation of existing legislation, the boosting of investments and the reduction of industrial emissions.
In terms of working life, investments in a fair transition will finally be made with significantly more money allocated for it in the next long-term budget. In addition, the Commission is committed to implementing a roadmap for quality jobs with social partners. The roadmap is intended to support fair wages and working conditions, as well as fair transitions, primarily through collective labour agreement negotiations.
These topics have historically been important to Finnish employees, and it is great that efforts are also being made at the EU level to support changes. Seeing more investments focusing on this current challenge in Finland would also be nice, so that people will not be left to their own devices as working life and society change.
Artificial intelligence, digitalisation and the right to disconnect
The Commission will also continue the implementation of the Pillar of Social Rights with a new action plan, focusing on the impact of digitalisation in working life. The effects of AI on working life, working from home and the impact of the constantly awake society on psychosocial health will be examined. In the guidelines, von der Leyen also undertakes to make a proposal on the right to disconnect. This is good news for employees as well, asit is a question of major changes in working life, and joint regulation at the EU level makes sense in the case of non-national phenomena.
Work to strengthen the European social dialogue will continue in the next five years. The President of the European Commission is committed to social dialogue with social partners, and the plan is to conclude the related agreement in January 2025.
The guidelines also include other goals that will have a significant impact on society and employees, such as the anti-poverty strategy, the affordable housing plan, as well as effective utilisation of the Social Climate Fund to support renovation and thereby affordable and energy-efficient housing. Furthermore, a commissioner for affordable housing will be appointed.
Another commissioner to be appointed will be in charge of equality. Their task will be to create a roadmap for the realisation of women’s rights and new strategies for LGBTIQ equality and anti-racism after 2025, as well as new equality strategy.
It is clear from the guidelines that the development of working life and the implementation of the Pillar of Social Rights will be at the core of the work done in Brussels also during the upcoming five-year period. What remains to be seen is the exact form of the initiatives
and the proposals’ level of ambition. The structure of the new Parliament and collaboration between and within the groups will also determine what kind of balance there will be to build agreements focusing on working life projects.
Maria Häggman
The author is the Head of International Affairs at STTK.
Antti Palola | 6.6.2024