The European Union has one of the world’s most developed economies, and is the most fair and equal region in the world. It is defined by a unique economic model that combines economic dynamism and social protection and that has brought prosperity, integration and cohesion. People can travel, work and study across the continent. They can do business and make transactions more easily than ever before. However, this model that has shaped our continent is under threat and must be further improved. The recent crisis revealed certain flaws which we want to fix in order to be able to protect everyone. In a context of multiple societal transformations involving globalisation, digitalisation, technological progress, climate change and energy transition, it remains our primary mission to ensure the fairness of such transformations, so that technological and economic progress translate into social progress too. 

1. We want to move towards a new economic model that focuses on social progress, gender equality, respect for human rights and sustainable growth, and that has citizens’ wellbeing at its heart, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This means creating quality jobs and prosperity with thriving small and medium sized enterprises, cooperatives, and a revived industrial policy, driven by leading research and innovation. It means achieving full gender equality and making use of women’s full potential particularly on the labour market and in leading positions. It means creating a healthy environment with a real strategy for green growth for a sustainable future for all. And it means creating more equal and fair societies with stronger, broader social protections and forward-looking social investment strategy.

Today, one of most important challenges that Europe has to face is the rise of inequality — the widening of the gap between the rich and poor in our societies and between our countries. Europe’s richest 1% own nearly a third of its wealth, while the bottom 40% own less than 1%. In 2015, almost 120 million people in Europe were facing poverty or social exclusion. That is almost one quarter of the entire EU population.