14/10/2026 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“Strong social rights strengthen democracy,” said Sibel Arslan (Switzerland, SOC), Vice-Chairperson of the PACE Sub-Committee on the European Social Charter, speaking at a roundtable at the Swiss Parliament in Bern on 14 October, emphasising the long-standing commitment of Switzerland to social rights. “This event is an opportunity to build on Switzerland’s tradition of social partnership and explore practical pathways to embracing the Charter,” she added. "The Charter is for Switzerland like a ripe fruit, we just need to reach out and pick it up."
Valérie Piller Carrard (Switzerland, SOC), PACE rapporteur on « European guidelines to counter social dumping and labour exploitation », also stressed the Charter’s benchmarks for advancing social rights through collective action.
This roundtable brought together parliamentarians, representatives of public authorities, social partners and international experts to explore what ratification of the European Social Charter could offer Switzerland. Against the backdrop of the Chișinău Declaration on social rights and PACE’s resolutions, the meeting aimed to translate Europe’s renewed commitment to social rights into a national debate.
Discussions focused on the Charter’s added value for Switzerland’s social partnership model, its contribution to tackling social dumping and labour exploitation, and the implementation of social rights in a federal system. By addressing both opportunities and concerns, including those related to international monitoring, the roundtable sought to clarify the practical implications of ratification and identify possible steps towards a progressive approach.