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Photo: Council of Europe - Gideon Benari
The Council of Europe and its member states adopted the Chișinău Declaration on March 21, 2026 at a summit in Moldova, reinforcing their commitment to social rights at a moment of rising authoritarianism and anti-rights political agendas across the continent. Human Rights Watch welcomed the declaration on March 25 as a significant — if insufficient — step, calling on European governments to translate the rhetorical commitment into concrete action to protect workers, the poor, and other vulnerable groups from policies that undermine their fundamental rights.
The Declaration and Its Significance
The Chișinău Declaration explicitly recognises that "democratic stability and security are directly impacted by rising socio-economic inequalities and the cost-of-living crisis" and that "ensuring social rights as enshrined notably in the European Social Charter is essential to countering growing threats to democracy." This framing represents a significant political statement: it links the health of European democracies directly to the fulfilment of social and economic rights.
The European Social Charter — first signed in 1961 and revised in 1996 — is sometimes described as "the social constitution of Europe." It covers rights related to employment, housing, health, education, social security, and the right to be free from poverty and social exclusion. Aoife Nolan, President of the European Committee of Social Rights, has argued that "the delivery of social rights is fundamental to sustaining confidence and trust in democracy."
Why This Matters Now
The declaration comes at a pivotal moment. Political actors openly hostile to human rights and social justice are gaining influence across Europe. Multiple governments are implementing policies that roll back rights protections or replace them with nationalist or exclusionary frameworks. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, and UN Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter issued a joint statement warning that "the current threats to democratic life are largely the result of the sentiment, within certain groups of the population, that they are being left behind and are not benefiting from general progress."
The Chișinău Declaration commits to greater investment in social rights as "both a moral imperative and a strategic choice" to bolster democratic resilience — recognising that unfulfilled rights promises create a trust gap that authoritarian political movements exploit.
The Road Ahead
Human Rights Watch noted that the declaration is a high-level political statement rather than a binding commitment, and that its value will depend entirely on implementation. Recent examples from the region are concerning: Germany recently proposed a bill that would weaken the right to social security, and France and Germany diluted corporate due diligence legislation in the name of "simplification."
HRW called on governments and regional institutions to use the momentum of the Chișinău Declaration to take concrete action, strengthen enforcement of the European Social Charter, and treat the concerns of people who feel economically left behind as a fundamental rights challenge — not merely a political problem.
Source: Human Rights Watch — Council of Europe Adopts New Social Rights Declaration (March 25, 2026)
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