The EU sectoral social partners - of which Insurance Europe is an active member - have written to the EC to express their concerns about the EC’s proposed changes to its logistical and technical support to EU sectoral social dialogue.
While the social partners welcome the EC’s communication on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union, the EC has not proposed any solution regarding the future organisation of sectoral social dialogue committees (SSDCs).
The partners have serious concerns about the EC’s previously proposed alternatives: notably the idea of multi-annual project-based financing, which could endanger both the autonomy of the social partners and their capacity to come up with meaningful outcomes. The lack of security and predictability of financing could also threaten the very existence of some SSDCs.
The partners take the view that any alternative proposals should avoid project-based financing as it would represent, especially for the smallest organisations, a huge administrative burden, and in the long-term could lead to the end of social dialogue in certain sectors.
While the partners understand the existing financial constraints under which the Commission operates, they strongly urged the Commission to put forward new proposals that fully respect social partners’ autonomy and that would avoid a severe devaluation of European sectoral social dialogue.