ETUCE at the Tripartite Social Summit: calling for strategic investment in education
ETUCE European Director Jelmer Evers took part today in the Tripartite Social Summit in Brussels as part of the ETUC delegation, joining EU leaders, employers’ organisations and trade unions to discuss “Investment for a vibrant European economy and quality jobs”.
In his intervention, Evers stressed that Europe cannot deliver competitiveness, resilience or quality employment without placing public education at the centre of its long‑term strategy. He underscored the growing gap between ambitious EU economic plans and the lack of strategic investment in education, as well as the persistent absence of meaningful social dialogue with the teaching profession at EU level.
Below is his full speech delivered at the Summit.
Speech by Jelmer Evers, ETUCE European Director, at the Tripartite Social Summit (18 March 2026)
Thank you Executive Vice-President,
If this Summit today is about investment for a vibrant European economy and quality jobs - we also must discuss our most vital resource: our people and students and education systems. And we must be brutally honest: Europe is still not acting or investing strategically in public education. We see austerity measures across Europe. An investment gap. And a big contrast with defence spending.
Mario Draghi’s report made clear that Europe’s competitiveness depends on stronger educational foundations, high-quality skills systems and a strong teaching profession.
Yet EU education policies remain too narrow, too often reduced to labour market supply and lack coherence. Education is not just an economic input. It is the long-term public foundation of innovation, democracy, social cohesion and resilience.
We also have a social dialogue and implementation problem. There is no coherent link between what happens in classrooms and schools, and what is decided at the national and European level.
Our influence is mostly limited to fragmented and shallow consultation. We still do not have the kind of sustained, meaningful social dialogue that this agenda requires. As a case in point, we have yet to discuss the viewpoints of the teaching profession with the Council of education ministers and we have yet to meet with the Executive Vice President personally, or invited to the Council. This reflects the lack or narrow social dialogue in many European countries.
If Europe wants innovative economies and a future workforce, it must start where that future is formed: invest in strong public education systems and in a strong, respected, well-supported teaching profession.
Stop treating education as a side issue, but as a chefsache. A strategic priority: invest in education and build real social dialogue with the profession that makes every other ambition possible.
Jelmer Adds : I have just returned from Tallinn, where Estonia hosted the International Summit on the Teaching Profession. A country that leads the way on education. What makes that summit so important is not only its ambition, but its method: ministers, teacher unions, the OECD and Education International/ETUCE come together in genuine social dialogue on how to strengthen education systems and the teaching profession. It is a unique forum, in strong contrast what I see here in Brussels.