For two days, the event brought together more than 1200 participants and 75 speakers with political interventions from the European Parliament, the Czech Presidency, President von der Leyen and Commissioner Schmit, former Commission President Juncker, the Belgian and Greek governments  and also academics, citizens and companies who shared their views on how to make the green transition a success for our societies.

Bringing a strong social focus into all policies

In her opening message, European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that in a fast-changing world, rights should always follow the pace of change:

“I want Europe to explore the new frontier of social rights. And it is for this reason that we strive to bring a strong social focus into all our policies. For instance, we have put social justice at the heart of the European Green Deal.”

The chair of the European Parliament’s committee for employment and social affairs, Dragoș Pîslaru (Renew Europe), pointed out that fighting climate change is not a political choice.

“We can find middle ground for sustainable business models, green jobs, avoiding catastrophic temperature rises, investing in children and youth, and providing real access to social integration and opportunities for a prosperous life” said Pîslaru.

The keynote speaker of the Forum, economist Mariana Mazzucato, from University College London, highlighted the need for different sectors to work together in order to ensure the green transition is fair.

“The European Green Deal represents a new social contract that begins with a different understanding of where the value comes from.”

Czechia’s Deputy Prime Minister Marian Jurečka, representing the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, underlined the need to help Europeans with low income.

“Climate change will not wait until we solve current challenges like the energy crisis. The motto of the Czech Presidency is ‘Europe as a Task’. And today there is even more tasks than we expected” stated Jurečka.

Triple birthday: Pillar of Social Rights, Pact for Skills and Forum itself

The Forum also celebrated a triple birthday. First, the 5^th anniversary of the European Pillar of Social Rights, proclaimed at the Gothenburg Summit in 2017. Since then, the Commission has put forward more than 130 initiatives to make the 20 principles of the Pillar a reality.

Former President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, who proposed the Pillar, emphasised that it is not just a symbol.

“This is a commitment made by three institutions to ensure that social Europe gains in colour (…). It takes patience, conviction and determination” said Juncker before he cut the Pillar’s birthday cake.

The Forum was also an occasion to celebrate the 2^nd anniversary of the Pact for Skills that brings together public and private organisations who commit to concrete training offers for workers across Europe. Two years after its launch, the Pact membership has grown to 1000 members.

Skills are key for a fair green transition, and it is no coincidence that 2023 will be the European Year of Skills. As Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, stated, Europe needs to anticipate the jobs and competences of the future:

“We need to put into place the right education, the right programmes, the right skills that people should have, and adapt our education systems by fully integrating lifelong learning… Education and lifelong learning are principle number 1 of the Pillar.”

Last but not least, the third birthday to celebrate was literally the birth of the Forum and its first edition.

Launch of Social Innovation Match

The second day started with Joost Korte, Director-General of the Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion announcing the launch of the Social Innovation Match. This is a new EU-wide database which will enable all interested stakeholders to showcase their social innovation projects, search for partners and initiatives in other countries, and scale up these initiatives jointly.

Social economy, Economic and Social Developments in Europe & more

Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, then underlined the importance of equality for the fair green transition.

“Our goal is to reach an inclusive employment rate of 78% by 2030. It means Europe must at least halve the gender employment gap compared to 2019,” said Dalli.

The day was dedicated to a panel discussion on the social economy, and to several breakout sessions, divided into three strands on:

• the “Economic and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) 2022” report, which focused on youth this year;
• a fair and inclusive green (and digital) transition, particularly in the light of last June’s Council Recommendation on “ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality”; and
• the European Care Strategy, highlighting the social and economic potential of high-quality, person-centred care in the EU.

Afterwards, Deputy Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Andriana Sukova, wrapped up the Forum.

In her closing speech, she assured participants that the Commission will continue working with all partners to invest in the green and digital transition with the concern that no one is left behind and that everyone's concerns are addressed.

Pictures

On the top of the photo gallery below, check-out all the other pictures taken during the Forum:

Photo gallery 1 - Photo gallery 2 - Photo gallery 3

Video

The video recording of the event is now available online.