Seeking Convergence: Sustainable Socio-Economic Rights in Post-Crisis Europe

One lesson afforded by the recent economic and financial crisis is the need to recreate a process of convergence among Member States and within societies, with productivity, job creation and social fairness at its core. The paper looks at how the initiative for a European Pillar of Social Rights contributes to the sustainability of socio-economic rights, offers a comparison with existing social rights protection instruments and examines its added value. It argues that there is also room for greater convergence and complementarity between the various systems established to protect fundamental social rights in Europe.