• Posted 22-Nov-2021

Making the social welfare state fit for the future: Commission launches new EU High-Level Group

The newly launched High-Level Group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state in the EU met today for the first time. The Group will present recommendations on how to make social protection and welfare systems fit for the future.

The European welfare systems have helped our societies prosper and weather crises, but as the world changes, they also need to evolve. 

To do so, as announced in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, the European Commission launched a High-Level Group to study the future of the welfare state, its financing and interconnections with the changing world of work, in light of mega trends such as:

• demographic changes resulting in a shrinking workforce and an ageing population
• transformations on the labour market accompanying the digital and green transitions, including the increase in non-standard forms of work
• globalisation and the emergence of new risks

In its work, the High-Level Group will build on the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and consider the interaction between social protection systems and other welfare policies, such as education, social inclusion, disability, healthcare and long-term care.

By the end of 2022, the group will present a vision on how to reinforce European social protection and welfare systems in light of ongoing and upcoming challenges.

The High-Level Group consists of 12 members, bringing a wealth of expertise in the area of social protection and welfare states and related areas. The group is chaired by Ms Anna Diamantopoulou, former European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, former Minister in Greece and currently president of Athens-based think tank DIKTIO.

• Follow the work of the High Level Group

Source: European Commission I Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion (https://bit.ly/3nuvhx6)