Val Duchesse Castle in Brussels © Schmitt-GlobalView
Practical information
Date
31 January 2024
Place
Val Duchesse
Organiser
European Commission + President von der Leyen + Belgian Prime Minister De Croo
On 31 January, President Ursula von der Leyen will co-host the Val Duchesse Social Partners Summit, together with Prime Minister De Croo on behalf of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU. Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit and the leaders of European social partners will attend.
During the Summit, participants will reflect on the importance of social dialogue in tackling pressing challenges in the world of work, including labour and skills shortages. The Summit is expected to conclude with the signature of a “Tripartite Declaration for a Thriving European Social Dialogue.”
The Val Duchesse Social Partners Summit was announced by President von der Leyen in her 2023 State of the Union address, where she stressed that “the future of Europe will be built with and by our social partners.” Tomorrow’s summit comes 39 years after former Commission President Jacques Delors convened social partners at Val Duchesse, marking the birth of European social dialogue.
Social dialogue is an integral part of the European social model, enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and a key principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights. In its 2023 Council Recommendation on strengthening social dialogue, the Commission stressed the need to reinforce national social dialogue and collective bargaining. It was accompanied by a Commission Communication on further promoting social dialogue at EU level.
The arrivals of the summit’s participants around 13:00 CET, the roundtable, the President’s and Prime Minister’s opening remarks and the signature ceremony at around 15:15 CET will be livestreamed here.
Press moments
Opening
Doorstep
Press release
Val Duchesse, birthplace of the predecessor of the European Union
In 1957, the delegates of the six member states (Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg) negotiated during several months in the castle of Val Duchesse, in Brussels. These negotiations prepared the famous Treaty of Rome which gave birth to the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union. The fate of EU was already tightly linked to the Belgian capital.
Val Duchesse - 1957 © European Union