This year marks the 20th anniversary of the merits decision of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) in the case brought by the Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights against Greece (Collective Complaint No. 30/2005), a landmark decision for the protection of social rights and, in particular, for highlighting the close relationship between environmental protection and the right to health. (see here: https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-social-charter/processed-complaints/-/asset_publisher/5GEFkJmH2bYG/content/no-30-2005-marangopoulos-foundation-for-human-rights-mfhr-v-greece )

The case concerned the impact of lignite mining and exploitation and the operation of lignite-fired power plants on the environment and the health of the population, as well as the protection of the health and safety of workers engaged in the activities concerned. In its decision, the Committee held that the right to the protection of health, guaranteed by Article 11 of the European Social Charter, also encompasses the right to a healthy environment, and that the measures taken by States to implement Article 11 must, among other things, aim to address the causes of ill-health arising from environmental threats, such as pollution.

In particular, the Committee found violations of Article 2§4 of the European Social Charter (the right to reduced working hours or additional paid leave for workers engaged in dangerous or unhealthy occupations), Article 3§2 (the obligation to ensure the implementation of health and safety regulations through supervisory measures), and Article 11§§1–3 (the right to protection of health). The decision highlighted the State’s obligations both to ensure the effective protection of workers’ health and safety and to prevent and address the effects of environmental pollution on the health of the population.

To mark this anniversary, the Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights is particularly pleased to host an interview with Mr Jean-Michel Belorgey, President of the European Committee of Social Rights at the time the decision was adopted and Rapporteur in the Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights v. Greece case. In the interview, he shares his reflections and experiences on the significance of the decision, as well as, more broadly, on the evolution of the protection of social rights in Europe. You can also find the interview in French here.

This interview forms part of the Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights’ broader work to safeguard and promote social rights, which includes, among other activities, research, academic study and publishing. In this context, the Foundation also presents the recently published work of Professor Emeritus Petros Stangos, Shaping European Social Case Law: Decisions on Collective Complaints by the European Committee of Social Rights, a publication that sheds light on key milestones in the development and evolution of the European protection of social rights, while also highlighting the decisive role of the Committee’s case law in strengthening their effective protection.