The Social Protection Committee (SPC) is an advisory policy committee to the Ministers in the Employment and Social Affairs Council (EPSCO). The SPC was established in 2004 with a Council decision under article 160 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The latest Council decision is in force since 2015.
The Committee provides a forum for multilateral policy coordination, dialogue, and cooperation at EU level. The main duties of the SPC are defined as follows (TFEU, Article 160):
- to monitor the social situation and the development of social protection policies in the Member States and the Union
- to promote exchanges of information, experience and good practice between Member States and with the Commission
- to prepare reports, formulate opinions or undertake other work within its fields of competence, at the request of either the Council or the Commission or on its own initiative
In accordance with Article 148 of the TFEU, the SPC plays key role in the context of the European Semester and closely cooperates with other Council preparatory bodies (especially the Employment Committee (EMCO) and the Economic Policy Committee (EPC) to discuss issues of joint interest, to prepare Council discussions on social protection and on the country-specific recommendations.
The SPC areas of competence are reflected in the framework of the social Open Method of Coordination (OMC) and encompass all major social policy strands:
- social inclusion
- social protection
- pensions
- long-term care
- healthcare
Organisation and working methods
The SPC is composed of two delegates from each Member State and the Commission.
The SPC meets every month except in July and August. Two times per year, the meetings take place in the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The SPC elects a chairperson who holds office for a two-year period (renewable once). The current chair is Rute Guerra (PT).
The chairperson is assisted by a bureau, which consists of the Commission, 4 vice-chairs (2 elected vice-chairs, 1 representative from the current and 1 representative from the next Council Presidency country), the SPC secretary, the General Secretariat of the Council, and the chairperson of the Indicators subgroup. The current elected vice-chairs are Jere Päivinen (FI) and Ulrike Neufang (AT).
The SPC Secretariat is provided by the Commission through a team of officials including Katalin Szatmari, Paul Minty and Katarzyna Grętkiewicz. The current SPC secretary is Katalin Szatmari.
SPC subgroups and working groups
The SPC has one permanent subgroup, the Indicators' sub-group (ISG), which is responsible for developing and defining EU social indicators to monitor Member States' progress towards the objectives underpinning the social OMC as well as developing specific monitoring and benchmarking frameworks. Relevant information:
In addition, the SPC may establish ad hoc working groups for in-depth policy work. The following working groups are currently active:
Minimum Income Network (MINET) working group
The Minimum Income Network (MINET) working group was set up by the Social Protection Committee to exchange experience and good practices in the field of minimum income and to facilitate mutual learning and cooperation among Member States’ experts in the field.
Working Group on Adequate Social Protection in Old Age (WG ADAGE)
The SPC has set up WG ADAGE to support the SPC with analysis of social protection policies aimed to ensure adequate living standards in old age, in particular pensions and long-term care (LTC). To deliver on this objective, WG ADAGE will prepare a joint SPC-Commission Report on Adequate Social Protection in Old Age for adoption in 2027.
Work programme
The SPC’s work and deliverables are defined in its work programme:
Main outputs
SPC Annual Report
In accordance with its Treaty based mandate, the SPC monitors the social situation in the EU, particularly through its key deliverable, the SPC Annual Report (AR). The report provides the Council with inputs regarding the main social policy priorities to be taken into account in the context of the preparation of the next cycle of the European Semester. The report:
- monitors the social situation, including the progress towards the 2030 target on reducing poverty and social exclusion and highlighting the most recent trends to watch
- identifies key structural social challenges facing individual Member States, as well as good social outcomes
- reviews recent social policy developments
Social Protection Commission annual reports
Social Protection Performance Monitor (SPPM)
The SPC developed in 2012 a monitoring tool which identifies annual key social trends to watch in the EU and key social challenges for each Member State. The tool is used for the preparation of the Annual Report.
For the most recent results please see the latest version of the SPC Annual Report. For a detailed description of the SPPM methodology see the technical annex of the report and this document:
About the Social Protection Performance Monitor
European Semester
In accordance with Article 148 TFEU, the SPC advises Ministers on matters related to the employment, skills and social policy dimensions of the European Semester jointly with EMCO:
- whenever proposed by the Commission, formulates opinions on the Employment Guidelines and its annual revisions
- in autumn/winter, prepares Council Conclusions to be adopted by EPSCO ministers in the framework of the European Semester, in particular on the Joint Employment Report after its text is agreed between EPSCO committees and the Commission
- in spring, discusses the Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) proposed by the Commission in the relevant domains and prepares the CSRs for adoption by the Council in June/July
- in late spring, provides an opinion to the EPSCO Council on the overall functioning and governance of the Semester and the implementation of CSRs issued in the previous Semester cycle and assessed as part of the EMCO multilateral surveillance process
In the framework of the European Semester, the SPC monitors Member States progress in implementing reforms addressing the Country Specific Recommendations and working towards the 2030 targets. This process is known as multilateral implementation review (MIR) and relies on the Monitoring and benchmarking frameworks, including the Joint Assessment Framework (JAF), which is an analytical tool based on a set of commonly agreed indicators .
Thematic work
The SPC carries out various activities, feeding into the preparation and monitoring of Council Conclusions, Council Recommendations and Commission policy initiatives in the field of Social protection & social inclusion, in particular the follow up of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Relevant opinions, reports
- Social Convergence in the Union: Opinion of the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee (2024)
- Voluntary guiding principles for EU Member States for evaluating economic effects of reforms and investments in the labour market, skills and social policy domains (2024)
- Future policy priorities for the Union on the European Pillar of Social Rights - Opinion of the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee (2024)
- Opinion on the proposal by Belgium and Spain for the introduction of a Social Imbalances Procedure in the European Semester (2022)
- Opinion on the 2030 National Target Setting Process (2022)
- Assessment of the Europe 2020 Strategy (2019)
- Monitoring report on the employment and social situation in the EU following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic
Thematic reports
- Pension Adequacy Report 2024
- Minimum income report 2022
- Pension Adequacy Report 2021
- Long-term care report 2021
- 2019 Joint paper on pensions by the Economic Policy and the Social Protection Committees
- Social services that complement active labour market inclusion measures for people of working age who are furthest away from the labour market (2018)
Thematic reviews
In-depth thematic reviews form a key Committee instrument, helping Member States learn from one another and engaging them in multilateral discussions on successful measures addressing policy challenges in the areas of employment, social protection and social inclusion.
2025
2024
- Thematic discussion on improving access to enabling services and employment services in order to address territorial inequalities and promote social inclusion (Budapest, 17-18 September 2024)
- Thematic discussion on the implementation of the 2019 Council Recommendation on access to social protection (Antwerp, 16 February 2024)
2023
2022
- Access to rights of vulnerable groups and the problem of non-take-up
- Social Protection and Social Inclusion in the context of the 2022 SPC Multilateral Implementation Reviews
- Pensions in the context of the 2022 SPC Multilateral Implementation Reviews
- Healthcare in the context of the 2022 SPC Multilateral Implementation Reviews
- Long-term Care the context of the 2022 SPC Multilateral Implementation Reviews
2021
2020
2019
- Addressing inequalities and promoting active inclusion
- Housing-led enabling social services tackling homelessness and housing exclusion
2018
- Integrated early childhood development policies as a tool for reducing poverty and promoting social inclusion
- Access to healthcare on the basis of SPC’s Joint Assessment Framework on Health (JAFH)
2017
2016
2014
- Access to health
- Indicators and data to monitor developments in access to housing and housing exclusion
2013
2012
- The working poor in Europe
- Child poverty and social exclusion
- The poverty risk of the (quasi-) jobless households
Peer Review Program
In addition to thematic reviews, the Committee organises its annual Peer Review program, to implement the Social 'Open Method of Coordination' (OMC). The peer reviews foster open discussion and mutual learning, initiated by a Member State on particular policy aspects of mutual interest.
Contact
If you have questions about SPC and its operation, please contact the SPC Secretariat.