How the CCS promotes social rights and social cohesion?

The CCS aims to foster social cohesion and strengthen social rights by:

• Preparing draft recommendations for the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on issues relating to social rights and social cohesion
• Producing reports and analytical papers
• Promoting dialogue at all levels, and facilitating the exchange of information and best practices through seminars, conferences and other events
• Identifying new trends and challenges and submitting proposals for Council of Europe work

Unlike the European Committee of Social Rights, the CCS does not examine legal compliance with the Charter system. Rather, its purpose is to facilitate dialogue and exchange of best practices amongst member States to strengthen the substantive enjoyment of social rights by all.

Activities for 2022-2025

The Committee’s current mandate and terms of reference set out more specifically what the CCS is expected to achieve between 2022 and 2025.

Some of the topics covered in the activities for 2022-2025 include:

• The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on social cohesion
• The intersection between the European green deal agenda and social cohesion
• Poverty eradication, including the challenges stemming from migration and global warming
• The platform economy
• Social cohesion enablers
• Minimum income schemes

Throughout its tasks, the CCS aims to:

• Pay particular attention to ensuring the substantive enjoyment of social rights by all, with a special emphasis on vulnerable groups, persons with disabilities, and young people
• Contribute to the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development particularly Goal 1: No poverty, Goal 3: Good health and well-being, Goal 5: Gender Equality, Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 13: Climate action
• Take account of the following mainstreamed perspectives: gender, youth, children’s rights, rights of persons with disabilities, and Roma and Traveller communities rights

European Social Cohesion Platform (PECS)

Before becoming the European Committee for Social Cohesion in 2022, the CCS was the European Social Cohesion Platform (PECS). The old PECS webpage and its valuable work can still be consulted.