Social policy
How the EU coordinates policies to promote social rights, aiming to build a fairer and more inclusive European social model.
The EU supports its member states in promoting employment, improving living and working conditions, providing adequate social protection and combatting social exclusion.
Employment and social inclusion policies are primarily the responsibility of national authorities.
The European pillar of social rights
The European pillar of social rights aims to support fair and well-functioning labour markets and welfare systems.
The pillar reaffirms the EU’s commitment to ensuring better living and working conditions throughout the EU, focusing on jobs, skills, equal opportunities and social inclusion.
EU 2030 targets on social rights
In 2021, the European Commission adopted an action plan that set out the roadmap to implementing the 20 principles of the pillar. By adopting the Porto declaration, EU leaders also welcomed three EU targets on social rights to be achieved by 2030.
Improving working conditions
The EU has adopted rules to make employment conditions fairer, tackle workplace discrimination and ensure workers’ health and safety.
Some of the most recent policy initiatives include rules on platform work, adequate minimum wages and more transparent and predictable working conditions.
Equality
The EU promotes equality in workplaces, education, healthcare, and public life.
Its initiatives focus on gender, racial and ethnic inclusion, disability rights and LGBTQ+ protection.
The principle of equal pay for equal work between men and women is enshrined in the EU Treaties. However, there is still a gender pay gap in the EU. To help bridge this gap, the EU adopted new rules on pay transparency.
The EU also established equality bodies to promote equal treatment and non-discrimination in member states. The bodies offer independent support to discrimination victims, conduct surveys, publish reports, and make recommendations on discrimination issues.
Investing in education and skills
Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and successfully manage transitions in the labour market.
The EU promotes the European Education Area and fosters collaboration among EU countries in the area of education, with the aim of building more resilient and inclusive national education and training systems.
In addition, the EU is working on new rules to improve working conditions for trainees and ensure they are not exploited.
Social inclusion
In order to promote social inclusion in society, the EU has made it illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of their race or ethnicity.
EU citizens are also protected against discrimination in the workplace.
The EU aims to make various products and services more accessible for older people and people with disabilities.
The EU and its member states are working to ensure that all people with disabilities enjoy their rights, can participate fully in society and the economy and do not experience discrimination.
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Last review: 7 February 2025