Social Europe in Times of COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19 gave rise to an unprecedented global crisis. As the end of the pandemic approaches and new crises have taken hold of Europe in the shape of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we propose in this study to analyse the actions taken by the European Union in the field of labour law during the pandemic. While any crisis can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of a society, what does the pandemic tell us in particular about the state of Social Europe and its future? The responses from Europe have been different from the previous crisis, especially the 2008 crisis. First, as an immediate response, the European Union released Member States from the European budgetary rules enshrined in the European Semester. Second, it adopted a specific instrument, the Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) programme, to facilitate short time working (STW) schemes. Third, the implementation of the European pillar of social rights continued, with new social directives expected to be adopted in the coming months. Unlike the 2008 crisis, the COVID-19 period could mark a deepening of social Europe. Social Europe, European Employment Policy, COVID-19, Short-time Working, European Pillar of Social Rights