Monitoring the effectiveness of EU countries’ social protection policies

The European Union’s (EU) Social Protection Committee (SPC), established under Article 160 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), advises the EU institutions on all aspects of social protection policy and plays a key role in the European semester process.

ACT

Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union - Part 3 - Union policies and internal actions - Title X - Social policy - Article 160 (ex Article 144 TEC) (OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, pp. 118-119).

SUMMARY

The European Union’s (EU) Social Protection Committee (SPC), established under Article 160 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), advises the EU institutions on all aspects of social protection policy and plays a key role in the European semester process.

WHAT DOES THIS DECISION DO?

This decision establishes the SPC and sets out its tasks, membership and working methods. In particular, the decision reflects the development of the European semester and the role of the SPC in this process, thus repealing Council Decision 2004/689/EC.

KEY POINTS

The SPC’s tasks include:

• monitoring social conditions in the EU and the development of social protection policies in EU countries;
• promoting information exchange and coordination of social policy approaches among EU governments and the European Commission;
• preparing reports, opinions and other work at the request of the EU Council, Commission or on its own initiative.

In carrying out these tasks, the SPC should also contribute to all aspects of the European semester within its field of competence and report on them to the Council.

Each EU country and the Commission appoint 2 members of the SPC and may appoint 2 alternate members.

The decision provides for the appointing of a chairperson andvice-chairs from among the members and for the setting up of working groups to study specific questions.

WHEN DOES THE DECISION APPLY?

From 15 May 2015.

RELATED ACTS

Council Decision (EU) 2015/773 of 11 May 2015 establishing the Social Protection Committee and repealing Decision 2004/689/EC (OJ L 121, 14.5.2015, pp. 16-19).

last update 15.06.2016