For a Europe of civic and social rights. Report by the Comité des Sages

Summary:

In its second social action programme (adopted in April 1995), the Commission undertook to set up a Comité des Sages to examine what might become of the Community Charter of the fundamental Social Rights of Workers in connection with the review of the European Union Treaties.

To enable it to fulfil its task properly, the Committee wanted to extend the scope of its remit because it felt that Europe was in greater danger than it realized and that the 'social deficit' was fraught with menace. Europe, the Committee felt, cannot be built on unemployment and social exclusion, noron an inadequate sense of citizenship. Europe will be a Europe for all, or it will be nothing at all.