EU SD and Capacity Building 2021-2022

The European social partner organisations at cross-industry level, ETUC, BusinessEurope, SGI Europe (formerly CEEP) and SMEunited, have resolved to continue their joint project activities and build upon the outcomes of the previous integrated projects. The Integrated Projects (IP) of the European Social Dialogue (EUSD) have provided the European social partners with an important tool to promote and reinforce the link between social dialogue at national and European level, as well as to address emerging issues which are of joint relevance. 

In the past, the Integrated Projects have supported the implementation and follow-up of European social dialogue instruments, with activities which have been established as a cornerstone of how we can better link social dialogue at the European and national levels. We aim to carry on with these activities, in relation to the implementation of the European social partners framework agreement on active ageing and an intergenerational approach, as well as the recent framework agreement on digitalisation.  

An important issue which has emerged through previous joint activities in cluster seminars is the capacity building needs of social partner organisations at national level. This remains a priority for the European social partners, building upon our work in the subgroup of the social dialogue committee and on activity undertaken to promote use of the European Social Fund (ESF) to support capacity building for social partners and social dialogue in those countries where this is needed. This issue is once again mainstreamed throughout the activities listed below: