On 22 July 2026, Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, gave a press conference on the Communication on the European Pillar of Social Rights, following the weekly meeting of the von der Leyen Commission in Brussels, Belgium.The European Commission adopted a Communication on the European Pillar of Social Rights. It confirmed that the Pillar remains the EU’s social shield and compass for fairness in an age of fast transformation, for a Europe that protects and empowers citizens. The Communication assesses progress made in strengthening social rights across the EU and identifies concrete priorities for further action. It also charts the way for anticipating and managing structural change, so as to seize the opportunities of ongoing transformations and ensure that Europe's social model continues to deliver fairness and prosperity. The Communication highlights three areas which require urgent, additional attention. New and rapidly evolving, these are complementary to ongoing Commission initiatives on jobs, skills, mobility and poverty reduction: addressing affordability and the cost of living; harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) for the future of work and shared prosperity; and reducing inequalities and expanding fairness and equal opportunities.