Brussels, Mar. 1, 2021 (Lusa) - Only a fifth of Europeans have heard of the European Pillar of Social Rights, one of the priorities of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union, and only 8% know what it is about, a survey the European Commission released on Monday showed.

The "Eurobarometer survey on social issues" dedicates a chapter to the European Social Pillar, namely what European citizens know about it and their views. The chapter revealed that less than one in 10 respondents (8%) knows for sure what it is about: a document with 20 principles to promote social rights in Europe, which was approved by European leaders in Gothenburg (Sweden) in November 2017, and whose implementation should be set out in an action plan to be adopted before the summer in Porto.

The survey revealed that 8% of Europeans say they know what the European Pillar of Social Rights is, 21% claim to have heard, read or become aware of it but admit they do not know what it is about, while 71% assume they have never heard of this text with 20 principles.

Portugal follows this trend, with only 9% of respondents indicating that they know what the Social Pillar is, 26% indicating that they have heard about it but acknowledge that they do not know what it is, and 64% admitting that they have never heard about it.

Among the (few) respondents who said they know about the European Pillar of Social Rights, a vast majority, 79%, say they agree with the idea that "this initiative will strengthen social inclusion and employment in the EU as a whole", but in national terms, the highest figure was recorded precisely in Portugal (94%).

In the same vein, 76% of Europeans familiar with the initiative consider that "the success of the European Pillar of Social Rights will depend on the implementation of these rights", and once again, Portugal is the member state where this opinion is the highest (96%).

One of the major priorities of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), in this first half of the year, will be the social agenda, with the approval of the future action plan of the Pillar of Social Rights planned at a Social Summit scheduled for 7 and 8 May in Porto.

The aim is to approve a programme with concrete measures to implement the European Social Pillar, a non-binding text of 20 principles to promote social rights in Europe approved in Gothenburg (Sweden) in November 2017.

The text advocates a fairer and more effective functioning of labour markets and social protection systems, notably in equal opportunities, labour market access, social protection, healthcare, lifelong learning, work-life balance and equal pay for men and women.

The European Commission is due to present its proposal for the action plan on Wednesday. It will be up to the Portuguese presidency to lead the debate and negotiate a compromise among the 27 that allows an agreement to be 'closed' in May.

ACC/ADB // ADB.

Lusa