The European Social Charter

Back The European Social Charter: a “sustainable common path for peoples and states” says Greek Prime Minister

The solution is “a new social contract” which would strengthen democracy and combat inequality, declared yesterday the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, referring to the standards of the European Social Charter of the Council of Europe as a “sustainable common path for people and states”.

Minister Tsipras, while referring to the Turin Process pointed out that the respect of the rights guaranteed under the European Social Charter "is the only way which leads to an appropriate common European orientation,… the only way for social democracy to guarantee the dignity of European citizens and social cohesion.”

The issues such as the political and financial crisis, the humanitarian consequences of the migration and refugee crisis, the rise of populism in Europe, evoked by Minister Tsipras, were also examined at the High level conference on the European Social Charter Turin I (17-18 October 2014) and Turin II (17-18 March 2016).

For more infomration, consult the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly web site.

Strasbourg, France 22/06/2016

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THE CHARTER AT A GLANCE

The European Social Charter is a Council of Europe treaty that guarantees fundamental social and economic rights as a counterpart to the European Convention on Human Rights, which refers to civil and political rights. It guarantees a broad range of everyday human rights related to employment, housing, health, education, social protection and welfare.

The Charter lays specific emphasis on the protection of vulnerable persons such as elderly people, children, people with disabilities and migrants. It requires that enjoyment of the abovementioned rights be guaranteed without discrimination.

No other legal instrument at pan-European level can provide such an extensive and complete protection of social rights as that provided by the Charter, which also serves as a point of reference in European Union law; most of the social rights in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights are based on the relevant articles of the Charter.

The Charter is therefore seen as the Social Constitution of Europe and represents an essential component of the continent’s human rights architecture.