An international seminar was held on 4-5 July 2025 in Córdoba, Spain entitled “The European Pillar of Social Rights in a just green and digital transition”. The seminar was organised by CEAT (Centro Español para Asuntos de los Trabajadores), in collaboration with EZA and funded by the European Union.
In his presentation, Piergiorgio Sciacqua, Vice-President of EZA, highlighted the importance of this pillar for the European Union, which aims to ensure fair social rights and equal opportunities for all citizens of the Union, and emphasised its significance at this historic moment as fundamental changes are taking place owing to the ecological and digital transition. David Cervera, President of CEAT, also stressed the importance of the continuous training of workers as a way of adapting to changes in the workplace. He stated that this is important not only for the acquisition of digital skills, but also to gain interpersonal skills that promote working in mixed and multidisciplinary teams.
Miguel Ángel Solana, Senior Advisor at the Komtes 3M Group pointed out the importance of STEM courses for the jobs of the future and the lack of young people, notably women, taking these courses. He also highlighted the challenge of high energy consumption, which will continue to rise, making it necessary to combine renewable energy sources with small modular reactors (SMRs) that can meet the high consumption of data centres.
José Luis Perea, Secretary-General of the National Association of the Self-Employed (ATA), spoke on the topic of “Social Protection for the Self-Employed: The Role of the European Pillar of Social Rights”. He stressed that, in terms of the self-employed, the economy is not doing well, or at least not the microeconomics. Self-employed workers face difficulties including unpaid invoices from public authorities and also from the large companies they engage as subcontractors. He highlighted the importance of women within the group, as their representation has increased and they tend to be more consistent and pursue longer-term projects, but also added that we must make consistent efforts to ensure that more women join the group. He stated that self-employed people in Spain have the good fortune to enjoy almost the same rights as employees, with the exception of partial retirement, which is not the case in Europe and is one of the successes they have struggled to achieve as an association.
Domingo Castillo, Secretary-General of the USO (Workers' Union of Andalusia) spoke about “Trade unions in the digital age: adapting the defence of rights”. He stressed that we are at a historic crossroads in the transformation of the world of work. Europe is in the process of a transformation towards the European Green Deal, reducing greenhouse gases, promoting renewable energy and the circular economy. This will ultimately lead to a change in the nature of jobs and the mobility of workers. He also highlighted the lack of interest in union membership among young people, which should prompt us to develop measures to reach and motivate young people.
Talking on the theme “Business growth as the biggest challenge for Spanish companies in the current competitive environment,” Gregorio Izquierdo, Director General of the Instituto de Estudios Económicos de España (Spanish Institute for Economic Studies), began by stating that without workers there are no companies and therefore there is a strong interdependence between the two. The two parties must therefore understand each other and find common ground. The variables most strongly related to productivity are education and investment. With no investment there is no productivity, and investment is the indicator of a company's growth. He also noted that it is easier for larger and older companies to evolve and adapt to change, and cited the motto: “You either grow or you fall.” He concluded that Spain has a shortage of entrepreneurs and this situation must change, possibly through training, highlighting the initiative of the CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations for schools, "Olegario, the goblin who became an entrepreneur."
At the international panel discussion entitled “Towards a social Europe?” Several participants took part in the workshop “A comparative analysis of social rights”.
The representative from Romania presented an overview of his country's current crisis, stating that difficulties are increasing at the local level. The representative of the Netherlands talked about the “restrictive turn in migration policy”. The Hungarian representative clearly outlined the challenges facing his country, highlighting the large wage gaps within Europe, reminding all participants that achievements in social and labour law are not permanent. The representative from Italy highlighted the importance of young people in the labour market and the need to offer them quality opportunities. The representative from Afammer (Spanish Association of Rural Families and Women) stressed the importance of rural areas and the role of women in this context.
The conference continued with a contribution from Pedro Barato, President of the agricultural association ASAJA (Asociación Agraria Jóvenes Agricultores (Spanish Young Farmers’ Association)). He stated that the common agricultural policy currently under discussion should not be questioned, as it is a fundamental pillar the aim of which is to provide food to all citizens. As an example, and in view of the current conflict situations, he pointed out that “bombs kill, but hunger is the greater killer.”
Finally, Francisco García, Doctor of Business Psychology and current CEO of Hubtrick, presented the topic “Towards a global and digital future of work: Implementing technology centres as catalysts for sustainable and inclusive employment.” In any transformation, there are always people, processes and technologies involved in terms of improving a company's productivity. It's a matter of adapting or dying, and in these times of change there is neither time nor excuses. There are no second chances, and we must be aware that the rules of the game have changed and are continuing to change.
Javier Morillas, Member of the Court of Auditors of the Kingdom of Spain, concluded the seminar by summarising some of the contributions of the speakers, stressing that we are in a situation of uncertainty, that the European Union must change its way of negotiating with the American administration and defend Europe, as there is nowhere in the world as safe as the European Union.