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About the European Union

A person jumping into the air with an umbrella displaying the EU flag.
The EU aims to promote social cohesion, protect fundamental rights and combat poverty and social exclusion. It also aims to promote gender equality, combat discrimination and strengthen social rights. Through its policy initiatives and legislation, the EU actively shapes socio-political developments in Europe and thus significantly influences the lives of EU citizens.

It is therefore all the more important to understand how the EU works, its institutions and its commitment to values such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and the protection of human rights.
Projects

EU Monitoring: Current socio-political developments in Europe

Our EU monitoring provides a regular overview of the activities of the European Union, the Council of Europe and the European civil society organisations in social policy.

It highlights our key issues in the areas of children and youth policy, family and reconciliation policy, equality policy, and policy for older people. In addition to the EU Monitoring, we publish focus issues and background information that present the European Union's social policies and strategies.

If you would like to receive the EU-Monitoring by e-mail, please write to us stating your name and organisation: beobachtungsstelle (a) iss-ffm.de

Please note that the EU monitoring is only published in German.

European values

In the background information, we provide detailed information on the six fundamental values of the EU, as defined by Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU): respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Please note that the background information is only published in German.


European Social Policy

The EU can take initiatives to coordinate the social policies of the Member States (Article 5 TFEU) and thus support their sociopolitical cooperation and set minimum standards throughout Europe.

Articles 151 to 161 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provide the legal basis for social policy. Common goals of the EU and its Member States include, for instance, improving the living and working conditions and combatting social exclusion.

The background information provides an overview of EU social policy, its legal basis and associated instruments, and a selection of current socio-political initiatives and measures.

Please note that the background information is only published in German.

European Pillar of Social Rights

Following the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights in 2017, the EU set out guidelines for a strong social Europe that is just and inclusive and offers opportunities for all.

Consisting of 20 principles, the Pillar strengthens the social rights of EU citizens in three dimensions: equal opportunities and access to the labour market, fair working conditions, and social protection and inclusion. Principles of particular interest are Principle 2 on gender equality, Principle 9 on work-life balance, Principle 11 on childcare and support, and Principle 18 on long-term care.

To translate these principles into concrete actions, the European Commission adopted the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan in March 2021. The Action Plan sets out three targets for 2030 relating to employment, skills, and social protection. The first target is to ensure that at least 78 percent of the population aged 20 to 64 are in employment. The second target is for at least 60 percent of all adults to participate in training each year. The third target is to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million, including at least five million children.

Another action plan is scheduled for 2026. This plan aims to accelerate the achievement of the three core objectives.

In our Newsletter, we present both instruments in detail, 
including a guest article by Nicolas Schmidt, who was the EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights from 2019 to 2024.

European Elections 2024 and their consequences

From 6 to 9 June 2024, it was that time again: The citizens of the EU member states elected the members of the European Parliament.

The European Elections, which occur every five years, are the largest democratic elections in the world: almost 370 million Europeans elect over 700 members of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is the only directly elected transnational assembly in the world and the only institution of the European Union that is directly elected.

The Parliament plays a key role in determining political and legal decisions at the EU level on the rule of law, gender equality, child poverty, gender-based violence, equal care and much more. These are all areas that directly impact the lives of Europeans.

The special edition of the EU-Monitoring and the infographic on Europe after the elections compiles current socio-political information on the results of the 2024 European elections and the resulting events. In addition to election results, their classification and institutional processes, it also presents the demands of individual civil society organisations.
 
The focus issue of the EU-Monitoring provides detailed background information on the 2024 European elections. It also looks at the role of the Parliament in gender equality. It presents selected election plans of the European parties and the election demands of various European civil society organisations. 

The special edition of the EU-Monitoring for the European Elections compiles current socio-political information concerning the upcoming elections. Besides events, manifestos from civil society organisations and current projections, the monitoring provides information about new directives and projects from EU institutions.

Please note that both issues are only published in German.