Offering A Better Service To Citizens
The meeting focused on EU membership achievements and challenges, setting a framework for demand and offer and how to improve and maximise the encounter of demand and offer.
Group III, within the European Economic and Social Committee, held an extraordinary meeting in Malta on 23 March 2017. The topic of discussion was Offering a Better Service to Citizens. The meeting was opened by Hon. Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta. ECEPE core group member Mr Ben Rizzo chaired one of the sessions. Other ECEPE core members, Dr David Fabri, Prof Theodoros Koutroubas and Ing Helga Pizzuto, addressed the audience. The meeting focussed on EU membership achievements and challenges, setting a framework for demand and offer and how to improve and maximise the encounter of demand and offer.
This event was held as part of the Malta EU Presidency calendar. Click here for more information.
Working Groups Report
The SP4SE project partners, led by Confprofessioni, have finalised the working group report, a document that summarises the key recommendations emerging from the discussion and analysis activities conducted during the project. The work focused on the social protection needs of self-employed workers and professionals, a topic that has become central in light of the critical issues that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic. The recommendations are divided into three priority thematic areas: Support during health emergencies, with proposals for administrative simplification, payment moratoria, income support and mental health protection; Supplementary healthcare, focusing on accessibility, flexible insurance models, mental well-being and social dialogue; Income support, with the aim of ensuring protection mechanisms in the event of business suspension or significant reduction in income, including professional development programmes. The working groups saw the active participation of representatives of social partners and stakeholders from the professional world, who shared experiences and concrete proposals based on the evidence gathered during the project. The report identifies good practices at the national level and proposes transferable models to promote a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient social protection system, in line with Principle 12 of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The document represents an important step forward in strengthening social dialogue and developing policies that are more responsive to the needs of self-employed professionals. Read the report.
Enhancing Social Protection for Professional Self-Employed: Insights on the Role of Social Partners
The SP4SE (Social Protection for Self-Employed) project investigates social protection frameworks for self-employed individuals across EU Member States, particularly focusing on Professional Self-Employed (PSE)workers. It builds upon the European Pillar of Social Rights (2017) and the 2019 Council Recommendation on access to social protection, emphasising the role of social partners in shaping effective systems. The study highlights the fragmented and unequal protection for PSEs across the EU, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed systemic vulnerabilities. The second phase of the project analyses seven diverse EU countries—Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, and Romania—to assess the real-world conditions of PSE workers and the role of representative organizations. Through interviews with experts, policymakers, and professional association leaders, the study explores how social partners contribute to protection governance, representation, and policy development. A key finding is that well-organised professions, such as traditional liberal fields, benefit from structured social protection through professional funds or associations. In contrast, non-traditional or solo self-employed workers often lack representation, suffer limited access to benefits, and remain excluded from formal systems. The report argues that empowering social partners is essential for developing equitable and effective social protection schemes. Public institutions at both national and EU levels must support structured dialogue with these actors. Ultimately, the project aims to promote harmonised, inclusive policies that improve the living and working conditions of all self-employed workers and ensure intergenerational renewal in essential professions across Europe. Read the full report here.
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This project has been funded by the Voluntary Organisations Project Scheme managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS).
