“Some of the risks to democracy that we are experiencing today are clearly related to certain inequalities and we need to address this,” the official stated at the closing of the Porto 2025 Social Forum.
The Portuguese diplomat emphasized that a just social dimension in society and the country requires attention to all aspects, namely social, economic, environmental, and political, as they are all interconnected.
In the European model, social, economic, and environmental rights are interlinked and cannot be separated, he stressed.
Paulo Rangel highlighted that a strong economy and a proper democracy cannot exist without social rights.
Noting that democracy is the regime of the middle class, the Foreign Minister indicated that a middle class only exists if there is a wealthy and functional economy.
“If there is a small percentage of very wealthy individuals and everyone else is poor, then democracy is at risk,” he pointed out.
The official, who was joined in the audience by the Minister of Labor, Solidarity, and Social Security, explained that there is no contradiction between a wealthy economy and a welfare state.
“In a poor economy, there will never be a social dimension,” he considered.
The European Commission is holding a review in Porto on the progress made in implementing the Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights, whose objectives were set during the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2021.
Under the theme “Quality jobs in a competitive social Europe,” the Porto Social Forum will enable a “review of the progress made in implementing the Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the EU’s three social objectives for 2030 regarding employment, training, and poverty reduction,” announced the European Commission in a statement released on Wednesday.
In May 2021, when Portugal held the rotating presidency of the EU Council and António Costa was Prime Minister, a social summit was held in Porto giving new political impetus to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, with goals such as achieving an employment rate of 78%, ensuring 60% of adults have annual training, and removing 15 million people from the risk of poverty or social exclusion.
The Porto Social Forum is an initiative of the Portuguese Government, supported by the European Commission, in collaboration with the European Parliament and the European Council.
