CSE Visiting Researcher Dimitrios Skiadas Takes Part in e-Conference on Social Exclusion
Professor Dimitrios Skiadas, Jean Monnet Chair at the Dept. of International and European Studies – University of Macedonia and Visiting Researcher here at the Center for the Study of Europe, participated on March 5th & 6th, 2021, in the e-Conference “Social exclusion, vulnerable groups and the new EU Social Rights Pillar,” co-organized by the Jean Monnet Project “Enhancing the Debate about Intercultural Dialogue, EU Values and Diversity- EU VaDis” and the Centre of International and European Economic Law (CIEEL).
Prof. Skiadas’s presentation was on the topic “The interaction between the EU budget and the EU Social Rights Pillar.” Enforcing the social dimension of the Union by pledging to present an Action Plan that will deliver the European Pillar of Social Rights has been one of the core commitments undertaken by the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen. Given the multifaceted importance of the Pillar, it is quite useful to examine the budgetary tool to be employed for this purpose. Within the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027, the next EU long-term budget, the oldest of the Union’s Structural Instruments and Funds, the European Social Fund which has been the key financial instrument to invest in people and create quality employment opportunity for European citizens, is going to be reformed. The new European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) will be a simpler but stronger version of its predecessor through the merger of five existing funding instruments. In the framework of this merger, the ESF+ will cover 11 specific objectives and allocate resources to three priority areas. Covering those areas, the ESF+ will put the European Pillar of Social Rights into practice. The analysis focused on the main features of this new funding reality, taking into account the texts proposed and approved for the new ESF+ Regulation. This development has been seen as a noteworthy change of policy on behalf of the EU, departing from the austerity and fiscal discipline doctrine towards a more flexible and human-centered approach, especially in view of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Europe’s economy and society.