EU leaders have placed social policy at the top of their priority list in the context of the bloc’s economic recovery. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said the EU is challenged by people’s distrust on political measures. This is a landmark moment for EU countries to place their people at the center of their concerns.

They assert their common values and commit themselves to a set of 20 principles and rights. From the right to fair wages to the right to health care; from lifelong learning, a better work-life balance and gender equality to minimum income, the EU stands up for the rights of its citizens in a fast-changing world. The Pillar mentions the basic salary, job access and incentives to ensure the demand of laborers and their families, taking into consideration national economic and social conditions.

EC President Jean-Claude Juncker has appealed to EU countries and the European Parliament to ratify social projects. Leaders have agreed on a new benchmark for all young Europeans finishing upper secondary education to have a good knowledge of two languages in addition to their mother tongues by 2025.

EU countries took almost all top 10 places of the Social Progress Index, covering social and environmental indicators, released by the Social Progress Imperative in 2015. A survey last year showed that one of the EU’s outstanding social progresses is to meet people’s right to have a decent house for a family. More commitments on social policy will help EU countries resolve challenges, particularly matters caused by the flow of immigration.