Dear reader,
We are pleased to present the second volume of the 8-part Commentary on the European Social Charter, written by the Academic Network on the European Social Charter and Social Rights (anesc or the Network).1
As Giovanni Guiglia, anesc/racse’s general coordinator wrote: “Our Network aims to promote the European Social Charter and the other legal instruments for the protection of social rights, in law, policy-making and academic studies, across different countries and their academics, in Europe. To this end, the anesc develops activities in the fields of education, training, research, and pro-bono legal practice. The Network is composed of nearly 200 members from 14 European countries (Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom). These are mainly academics who work in different legal fields, including social, constitutional, international and labour law, as well as few judges, lawyers and human rights consultants.
A few years ago, the anesc’s governing bodies decided that the Network would start the drafting of the first-ever-published Commentary on the European Social Charter System, and the first output of this process is this volume. I am confident that, together with the other seven volumes, this Commentary can become a particularly important reference document to navigate European social standards and procedures vis-à-vis the many socioeconomic challenges of our times, and a useful companion for academics and human rights practitioners”.2
The Volume 1 published in May 2022 (and the Ebook in June 2022) addresses cross-cutting themes. Therefore, this Volume is the first one analysing the European Social Charter provisions, starting by the Preamble, Part 1 and Articles 1 to 10. Then, next volumes will come as follows: Volume 3 (Articles 11 to 19); Volume 4 (Articles 20 to 31); Volume 5 (Part 3, Art A and B, Part 4, Art C); Volume 6 (Part 4, art D – Collective complaints); Volume 7 (Part 5 – Art E, F, G, H, I, J, Part 6 – Art K, L, M, N, O and introduction of the Appendix); Volume 8 (Rules of the European Committee of Social Rights).
Special mentions go to Stefano Angeleri, Giovanni Guiglia, Brigitte Napiwocka and Danuta Wisniewska-Cazals (Secretaries of the anesc) for their help in the administrative and coordination work, and the preparation of the editorial guidelines.
I wish you a good reading and hope that this project will contribute to the dissemination of knowledge and interest on the European Social Charter and the jurisprudence of the European Committee on Social Rights.
Carole Nivard (Coordinator of ANESC/RACSE’s French section, Editor of the Volume)
Rouen, July 2022