Reporting system of the European Social Charter

The reporting system is formally governed by Articles 21-29 of the 1961 Charter.

In the framework of this monitoring system, States Parties regularly submit a report on the implementation of the Charter in law and in practice. These reports are examined by the European Committee of Social Rights, which decides whether the national situations they describe comply with the Charter. The decisions adopted by the European Committee of Social Rights in the framework of the reporting system, called "conclusions", are published every year. They can be consulted using the European Social Charter HUDOC Database. When the European Committee of Social Rights concludes that a situation is not in conformity, the State Party concerned has to bring the situation into conformity.

The follow-up of the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights is ensured by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which intervenes in the last stage of the Reporting System. Its work is prepared by the Governmental Committee of the European Social Charter and the European Code of Social Security, comprising representatives of the States parties to the Charter and assisted by observers representing European employers’ organisations and trade unions.

Having regard to the proposals made by the Governmental Committee, the Committee of Ministers adopts a Resolution closing each supervision cycle and may contain individual recommendations to the States parties concerned. If a State takes no action, the Committee of Ministers, on a proposal from the Governmental Committee, may address a Recommendation to that State, asking it to change the situation in law and/or in practice.

Ultimately, it falls to the European Committee of Social Rights to determine whether the situation has been brought into compliance with the Charter. This is done by the Committee in the framework of the reporting system or the collective complaints procedure.

More on the reporting system

National Reports

National reports can be consulted on the country profiles web pages.

Please note that reports are published in the form they are submitted by States Parties that are responsible for their content.

European committee of social rights questions to States parties

In accordance with the decision of 27 September 2022 of the Ministers’ Deputies concerning the reform of the system of presentation of reports relating to the application of the European Social Charter, States Parties not having accepted the collective complaints procedure yet, should submit a report every two years responding to questions on one of two groups of Charter provisions.

Further to this decision, the authorities of those states parties have been invited to submit a report on the first group of provisions. The European Committee of Social Rights and the Governmental Committee of the European Social Charter and European Code of Social Security have defined a limited number of targeted questions to be answered in the report.

States Parties are requested to respond to these questions only in so far as they have accepted the provisions to which the questions relate.

The deadline for submission of the report is 31 December 2024.

Questionnaire

*First Group
Article 1 - Article 2 - Article 3 - Article 4 - Article 5 - Article 6 - Article 8 - Article 9 - Article 10 - Article 18 - Article 19 - Article 20 - Article 21 - Article 22 - Article 24 - Article - 25 - Article 28 - Article 29.
Second Group
Article 7 - Article 11 - Article 12 - Article 13 - Article 14 - Article 15 - Article 16 - Article 17 - Article 23 - Article 26 - Article 27 - Article 30 - Article 31.

Ad Hoc Reports

In accordance with the decision of the Ministers’ Deputies adopted on 27 September 2022 concerning the new system for the presentation of reports under the European Social Charter, the European Committee of Social Rights and the Governmental Committee have decided to request an ad hoc report on the cost-of-living crisis to all State parties.

The reports were sent in electronic form by 31 December 2023.

Questions

latest conclusions

Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2023 (Children, Family and Migrants)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2022 (Labour rights)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2021 (Health, social security and social protection)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social RIghts 2020 (Employment, training and equal opportunities)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2019 (Children, family and migrants)
Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights 2018 (Labour rights)

conclusions on hudoc

The HUDOC Database of the European Social Charter allows users to make an in-depth research on the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights in the framework of the Reporting System, as well as on Resolutions and Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers in the framework of the follow-up procedure.

Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights on HUDOC

Resolutions and Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on HUDOC

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Back 20th anniversary Revised European Social Charter entry into force

Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, President of the European Committee of Social Rights, Giuseppe Palmisano and French Ambassador Jean-Baptiste Mattéi

“Increased inequality is a major challenge for Europe and social rights’ protection across the Continent should be a top priority. I call on our member states for more commitment to the Social Charter”, highlighted Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, on the 20th anniversary of the Revised Social Charter’s entry into force.

Social rights and social progress are, since 1949, one the of the Council of Europe’s aims and primary tools intended to be a “source of individual freedom, political liberty and the rule of law” as bases of “genuine democracy”, as stated in Council of Europe’s foundational Statute. Social progress - and the protection of social rights and social justice - are not only a hallmark of democracy but also an indicator of its functioning. If social progress fails and social rights are not protected or social justice is not delivered, the operational link between people and elected representatives appears broken.

“The entry into force of the Revised European Social Charter was the culmination of a reform and modernisation process, which defined new rights under international human rights law and set up the mechanisms for their effective monitoring. It up-graded the protection of social rights to meet 21st century needs”, underlined the President of the European Committee of Social Rights, Giuseppe Palmisano.

“The Committee of Ministers reaffirmed unequivocally in Helsinki the importance of social rights across the continent and invited those member states which have not yet done so to consider signing and ratifying the Revised European Social Charter and its Additional Protocol providing for a system of collective complaints. The promotion of social rights is one of the priorities of the French Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and as such, an event will be organised on 19 September on the theme “Strengthening the protection of social rights in Europe for greater unity and equality””. added Ambassador Jean-Baptiste Mattéi.

Background:

The European Social Charter is a Council of Europe treaty signed in Turin on 18 October 1961 which safeguards day-to-day freedoms and fundamental rights: decent housing, healthcare, safety at work, education and training, employment, legal and social security, protection against poverty and exclusion, freedom of movement for individuals, non-discrimination and equal pay. The substance of the Charter was up-dated by the Revised European Social Charter of 1996, which entered into force on 1 July 1999.

The European Committee of Social Rights is a body composed of 15 independent and impartial members. It rules on the conformity of the law and practice of the States Parties with the Charter. The Committee has two procedures to ensure that States Parties comply with their commitments under the Charter: national reports and collective complaints. In the framework of the reporting procedure it adopts “conclusions” and in respect of the collective complaints procedure it adopts “decisions”. The Protocol which came into force in 1998, allows national and international trade union organisations, employers’ organisations and non-governmental organisations to submit to the Committee their complaints about violations of the Charter. Not all Council of Europe member states have accepted all the provisions of the Charter nor the collective complaints procedure.

Strasbourg, France 01/07/2019