Relaunch social Europe, give it new impetus, while the Covid-19 crisis has brought down the continental economy and the ongoing dual climate and digital transition promises to be destructive as regards jobs. This is the ambition of the Porto summit, which is to bring together European heads of state and government in Portugal on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 May. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was already absent at the previous social summit in Gothenburg, in November 2017, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and his Maltese counterpart, Robert Abela (in quarantine), will not make the trip, but they will participate in videoconference discussions.
“There will be no concrete measure”, confirms a senior European official, but “A political message” of the Twenty-Seven, who will reaffirm their will to move forward in the construction of a social Europe. But, from declarations of intention to concretization, the path is very narrow. Because the competences lie with the Member States, even, in certain countries and according to the subjects, of the regions, and the Europeans are deeply divided on the subject.
In limbo
The countries of the South, such as France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, are very lively. “The objective of social Europe is to ensure social convergence towards our standards in Europe”, we explain to the Elysee. The Nordic countries, attached to their model, and those of the East, anxious to keep their competitiveness, are much less enthusiastic. In this context, it is very difficult to move forward, and Jacques Delors cruelly summed up the situation by qualifying as “Great masses without faith” social summits.
Moreover, the legislative proposal on minimum wages, made by the European Commission in October 2020, is today blocked by around ten Member States. As for the draft directive on the place of women on boards of directors, it has been in limbo for ten years. After the “sofagate” episode, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said he intended to revive him, but nobody imagines that this will be done easily. “Charles Michel will talk about it in Porto, during bilateral meetings with the various heads of state, to try to move the subject forward”, we confide in those around him.
That said, little by little, certain subjects are advancing. Today, Europe has legislation on parental leave, part-time work or teleworking. The Elysée also welcomes the directive on the posting of workers, which was adopted in March 2018, to ensure “That for equal work, at the same workplace, there is equal remuneration”. The text on pay transparency, presented in March by the Commission and intended to facilitate the reduction of the pay gap between men and women (by 14% in Europe) should not pose too many difficulties.
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