Skip to main content
Banner leading just transition
Leading the just transition

Leaving no European behind

Getting people
back to work
6 million
jobs created in the EU in 2021
Record low unemployment
6% in June 2022

Post-pandemic recovery

€92 billion
of financial assistance
was disbursed to 19 Member States for the direct benefit of recipients
Around 31 million people
and 2.5 million firms
in the EU were supported by SURE in 2020 alone
Almost 30%
of total employment and one quarter of total firms
were supported by SURE in the 19 beneficiary countries

Additional tools for an inclusive economic recovery

NextGenerationEU is an €800 billion recovery instrument to help repair the immediate economic and social damage brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. It supports enterprises and business development, strengthens healthcare systems, finances training programmes, employment schemes, and provides school equipment and material assistance for those most in need. One of the largest programmes under the new Next Generation EU instrument is REACT-EU, which promotes recovery across the EU by boosting growth in less-developed regions.

Finally, a strong social market economy that puts people’s well-being first is the most resilient model for a technologically driven post-pandemic world. That is why in March 2021, the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan was adopted. This plan proposed the following three ambitious EU headline targets for 2030.

78%
of the population
aged 20 to 64 should be in employment by 2030
60%
of all adults
should be participating in training every year by 2030
15 million
A reduction of at least 15 million
in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion

Allowing talent to flourish

The Council adopted recommendations on individual learning accounts and micro-credentials in June 2022. To ensure that Europe continues to be world class in education, the Commission has launched a European strategy for universities that will greatly improve the competitiveness of our higher education systems through larger and deeper transnational cooperation.

Improving working conditions

The proposal aims to ensure that people working through digital labour platforms are granted the legal employment status that corresponds to their actual work arrangements and can enjoy the labour rights and social benefits they are entitled to.

Disclaimer: The data on this page was last updated on 31 August 2022

Progress in other areas

Footer banner SOTEU 2022
Achievements

of the von der Leyen Commission