11 European social partners issued a statement on Tuesday 28 January pledging to ‘protect welfare states at all costs’, following statements by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte calling on member states to increase national spending on military defence and readjust spending on pensions, health and social security. He made these statements before the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence (13 January) and at the World Economic Forum (23 January).
Specifically, the following organisations have signed this communiqué: European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN); Caritas Europa; COFACE Families Europe; Emmaüs Europe; Eurochild; Eurodiaconia; European Network against Racism (ENAR); European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network; FEANTSA; PICUM (Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants) and Social Platform.
‘We represent organisations working on social rights, anti-poverty, homelessness, mental health, anti-discrimination, racial justice, Roma rights, disability rights, undocumented migrants, children, family support, youth and older people. We and our members are on the frontline to bear witness to the appalling state of social exclusion in the EU,’ reads the published document.
According to the 11 organisations, austerity policies have already had a harsh impact on public investments and social protection, with disastrous effects on the human rights and dignity of the most vulnerable.
Despite this, they reaffirm that the EU’s commitments under the European Pillar of Social Rights and the UN poverty reduction targets cannot be achieved ‘without adequate financial means, both at EU and national level’.
According to the document, 2025 is a ‘crucial year’, in relation to the renewal of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, the adoption of the EU Affordable Housing Plan, the preparation of the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, the renewal of the EU equality and anti-discrimination strategies and the start of discussions on the Multiannual Financial Framework post-2027.
This is why they highlight as a priority the adequate financing of the welfare state as a social investment, ‘at the heart of peaceful and prosperous societies, establishing strong social safety nets to ensure that individuals and families are resilient to crises’.
The importance of ensuring a strong EU
The signatory organisations stressed the importance of the EU being a ‘strong’ body in the face of digital, demographic and ecological transitions.
‘At a time when its 2024-2029 guidelines focus on security and defence, we call on the European Commission, Member States and the European Parliament to prioritise and protect social spending in the face of increasing pressure to redirect funds to military and defence budgets, and to protect social welfare in the midst of competing budgetary pressures,’ the document notes.
Finally, the organisations called for protecting the interests of the 95 million people living in poverty on our continent, saying they ‘cannot wait any longer’. ‘It is about human dignity, democracy, human rights, social cohesion and the EU’s ability to protect the most vulnerable,’ the statement concludes.
The full document, ‘Statement from EU civil society organisations: The EU must protect welfare states at any costs’.
