On 22 July 2026, the European Commission published a new Communication on the European Pillar of Social Rights, renewing its commitment to Social Europe ahead of the Social Pillar’s 10th anniversary in 2027. The document reviews progress in implementing the Social Pillar, taking stock of the 2021 Action Plan and its headline targets, and setting out priorities and additional actions on affordability, Artificial Intelligence, inequalities and equal opportunities. ERGO Network reviewed the Communication to assess how it addresses Roma rights and inclusion, the EU Roma Framework, ethnic minorities, discrimination and antigypsyism, as well as the broader direction of the EU’s social policy agenda.
ERGO Network warmly welcomes that the Roma are explicitly mentioned in the Communication, but the two references remain more symbolic than meaningful. The first appears under the employment target, pointing to Fundamental Rights Agency data on Roma employment, while Roma are absent from the analysis of the targets on education and poverty reduction, despite the very significant gaps they face in both areas. Once again, Roma inclusion is framed mainly through labour-market participation and their potential as an untapped labour reserve.
We also welcome the Communication’s stronger emphasis on the fight against discrimination, including references to the Racial and Employment Equality Directives and the call on Member States to ensure effective sanctions against discrimination. However, there are no references to ethnic minorities and no mention of antigypsyism, while most discrimination-related references concern the risks posed by AI systems. The EU Roma Strategic Framework is mentioned only as part of the wider Union of Equality, without meaningful synergies being developed with the Social Pillar.
The Communication is also no longer presented as the Second Social Pillar Action Plan, as initially announced. Instead, it mainly assesses implementation progress, reviews existing initiatives, and streamlines priorities within the current framework. While this shift is understandable, it results in a more modest initiative than originally expected, and raises questions about its capacity to generate renewed political momentum for Social Europe.
At the same time, we welcome several elements of the broader policy agenda, including the stronger focus on job quality, affordability, housing, food and transport poverty, access to essential services including care, health inequalities, intergenerational fairness, and the right to stay. We also appreciate the recognition of inequalities linked to wealth concentration, territorial disparities, and environmental injustice. We nevertheless caution that simplification must never lead to reduced provision, entitlements or rights.
Finally, ERGO Network regrets that civil society is still not placed on an equal footing with social partners in EU governance, while we salute the continued embedding of the Social Pillar within the European Semester. We stand ready, together with our national members, to support an implementation that ensures these commitments and actions also reach Europe’s Roma.
For more information on ERGO Network’s work on the European Pillar of Social Rights, please contact Senior Policy Adviser Amana Ferro – a.ferro@ergonetwork.org
