On the occasion of the High-Level Conference on Social Rights – the European Social Charter, and at a time when these rights are threatened across Europe, I wish to recall the importance of social rights.

These rights can no longer be treated as an aspiration or a good intention. They are fundamental rights inherent to human dignity. Access to decent housing, as well as to a healthy environment, must be considered the minimum foundation for a life in dignity.

Today, pollution, climate change and the degradation of our environment are hitting the most vulnerable the hardest, widening inequalities and weakening social cohesion.

These challenges and the rights to housing and to a healthy environment are closely linked. Providing everyone with sustainable, energy-efficient housing that is climate-resilient and financially accessible is not merely a matter of comfort: it is a key condition for social inclusion, public health and the preservation of our planet. Guaranteeing these rights strengthens both social justice and environmental security. Social justice and environmental protection are inseparable: protecting the planet also means defending our rights and our collective future.

The Assembly calls on national parliaments to take action: to fully implement the European Social Charter, and to go further by recognising, at the level of the Council of Europe, an autonomous right to a healthy environment. This recognition must be accompanied by concrete measures enabling this right to become a real and enforceable guarantee for everyone.