Social protection

Social protection and inclusion policy responses to the COVID-19 crisis

An analysis of policies in 35 countries

Baptista I., Marlier E., Spasova S., Peña-Casas R., Fronteddu B., Ghailani D., Sabato S. and Regazzoni P.

European Social Policy Network (ESPN), Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

The need for a ‘holistic’ workplace health and wellbeing strategy

Is the pandemic an opportune time for an EU breakthrough?

Guillén A.M. and Petmesidou M.

OSE Paper Series, Opinion Paper No.26, September 2020, 16p.

Occupational Welfare in Europe: Risks, opportunities and social partner involvement

Natali D., Pavolini E. with Vanhercke B. (Eds)

European Trade Union Institute – European Social Observatory, Brussels, 2018, 267 p.

The social situation of the self-employed in Europe

Labour market issues and social protection

Spasova S. and Wilkens M.

in Vanhercke B., Ghailani D. and Sabato S. (eds.), Social Policy in the European Union: State of Play 2018, Brussels: European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and European Social Observatory (OSE), pp. 97-116

The ‘generosity’ of pensions for workers in hard jobs

In need of a nuanced debate

Spasova S. and Vanhercke B.

ETUI Policy Brief N° 12/2018, Brussels: European Trade Union Institute, 7 p.

Access to social protection for people working on non-standard contracts and as self-employed in Europe. A study of national policies

Spasova S., Bouget D., Ghailani D. and Vanhercke B.

European Social Policy Network (ESPN), Brussels: European Commission, 2017, 100p.

Balancing protection and investment: structural reforms in five countries

Agostini C., Lisi V., Natali D. and Sabato S.

Brussels: European Trade Union Institute, 124 p.

European Social Policy Analysis Network (ESPAN)

Between 2014 and 2022, the European Social Policy Network (ESPN) supported the European Commission by providing independent information and analysis on social protection and social inclusion policies, thereby contributing to improving social monitoring and fostering the development of evidence-based social policy initiatives at European level.

Academic support to the preparation of the Belgian EU Council Presidency 2024

The Centre for Social Policy Herman Deleeck (CSB, University of Antwerp) and the OSE have secured a contract with the Belgian Federal Public Service Social Security (SPF Sécurité Sociale) to provide the academic underpinning of the ‘Social Affairs’ side of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU during the first half of 2024. In the first phase, the OSE has been tasked with writing three background papers on a) ‘improving access to social protection’; b) ‘just transition towards climate neutrality’; and c) ‘advancing disability rights in the context of the Union of equality’.

Covid-19: mapping of social protection and support mechanisms for SMEs (FEC)

The OSE started new research for Formation Education Culture (FEC), an association for life-long learning and socio-cultural promotion linked to the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens - CSC). The first part of the research maps the social protection measures taken in the 27 EU Member States in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on some categories of non-standard workers and the self-employed.

Social protection