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By supporting the Member States in the fight against poverty, social exclusion and discrimination, the EU aims to reinforce the inclusiveness and cohesion of European society and to everyone to enjoy equal access to opportunities and resources.

The purpose of this briefing is to provide support to the European Parliament delegation to the 13th session of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, taking place 14-23 July 2025 at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters, under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The briefing provides an overview of the progress made on the SDG implementation by the global community and the EU, as well as key issues at stake in the meeting. This document ...

Driven by the rapid pace of technological change and the need for a human-centric approach to the development of artificial intelligence (AI), AI skills have a significant role in shaping the future European workforce. The growing skills gap in the EU, with almost half of the population lacking basic digital skills, including AI skills, poses a significant challenge for the future that needs to be addressed for the EU to maintain its competitiveness and manage regional disparities. Several EU initiatives ...

Youth is a national policy area, so EU-level harmonisation is not possible. The EU therefore plays a supporting role, especially when it comes to mobility and opportunities across the EU. For instance, Key Action 1 of the Erasmus+ programme about mobility for individuals encourages exchanges of young people within the EU and with third countries. Over the past few years, the European Union has strengthened its policies towards young people, as illustrated by the European Solidarity Corps programme ...

The recent cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated a longstanding problem with housing affordability in the EU. Higher building costs and mortgage rates, together with a related decrease in housing construction, have made access to home ownership more difficult. At the same time, investors use housing as a vehicle for investment. Growing numbers of people are struggling to access affordable housing, whether to rent or to buy, particularly in cities. Across Europe, homelessness is rising. In addition ...

The European Social Fund (ESF) was set up under the Treaty of Rome to improve workers’ mobility and employment opportunities. Its tasks and operational rules have since been revised and complementary EU instruments have been integrated to enhance coherence and synergies, and reflect developments in the economic and employment situation in the Member States, as well as the evolution of the political priorities defined at EU level. As a result, ESF+ has become the main EU instrument for investing in ...

Social dialogue is a fundamental component of the European social model. It empowers representatives of management and labour (‘the social partners’) to contribute actively, including through agreements, to designing European social and employment policy. Principle 8 of the European Pillar of Social Rights reaffirms the commitment to social dialogue and the involvement of workers.

European integration has led to significant social developments over the years. An important milestone came in 2017, when Parliament, the Council and the Commission proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring better living and working conditions throughout the EU. The related action plan of 2021 set out concrete initiatives to turn this commitment into reality.

The coordination of social security facilitates the free movement of people within the EU. After a fundamental reform of legislation in this area in 2010, the Commission included proposals in its 2016 Labour Mobility Package to further reform the system and adapt it to modern economic and social realities in the EU.

On 19 March 2025, the European Commission unveiled its strategy for a savings and investments union with the goal of directing EU households' savings towards productive investments. This policy includes a review of existing EU pension legislation to increase participation in supplementary pensions and recommendations for auto-enrolment pension frameworks. The pan-European pension product (PEPP), introduced in 2019 through a regulation that became applicable in 2022, has only been registered in four ...