On 22 July 2026, European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu announced the launch of a first-stage consultation of EU social partners on a possible initiative for job activation, targeting the nearly 50 million working-age people outside the EU labour market. Speaking on the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), she also outlined plans for a European Care Deal in 2025, a Quality Jobs Act on algorithmic management, and proposed 8 August as the European Day in Remembrance of Victims of Accidents at Work. The Commission adopted a communication reviewing the EPSR's achievements and setting future directions.
The EPSR, adopted in 2017, has guided EU policy through crises such as the Covid pandemic, translating into measures on minimum wages, work-life balance, and skills. Mînzatu stressed that the Pillar must continue to shape EU choices amid technological and economic disruptions. The job activation consultation aims to open paths to quality employment through supportive actions like training, childcare access, and better coordination of services, rather than pushing people into any job. She thanked Commissioner Šuica for shared commitment on this initiative.
On wages, Mînzatu noted that the Directive on adequate minimum wages has already supported increases where wages were lowest, with an implementation report due this week. The upcoming European Care Deal will address affordable, quality care and staff shortages. On AI and the labour market, the Commission is discussing possible EU action under a Quality Jobs Act and launching a high-level group to guide future policy. Other measures include helping companies implement the Pay Transparency Directive, a Right to Stay Strategy for access to jobs and services, and a strategy to boost vocational education and training (VET). For the first time, VET graduates will be eligible for the Commission's Blue Book traineeship, coordinated by Commissioner Serafin.
Mînzatu also proposed 8 August as the European Day in Remembrance of Victims of Accidents at Work, marking 70 years since the Marcinelle mining disaster that killed 262 workers. She reiterated a zero-tolerance goal for work-related deaths, following a recent construction-site accident in Brussels that killed six workers. The speech contained concrete proposals such as the job activation consultation, the Care Deal timeline, and the remembrance day, alongside broader commitments to social rights and equal opportunities.