An ever-faster demographic change, a wide variety of individual lifestyles, multi-ethnical societies, a full new understanding of work, digitalisation, new forms of mobility – meta-mobility – put pressure on existing (national) systems. Moreover, upheavals and crises, such as the climate crisis or the corona pandemic, put additional complexity on a changing society. Yet, European welfare state models with comprehensive benefits in almost all member states do not seem to be able to handle these changes. Old structures of social systems have been based on a less complex, less global, less interconnected and less individualised society. The old structures do not correspond to the new parameters resulting in various implications.

The European pillar of social rights will only be beneficial for citizens and affordable for societies if we succeed in developing a common European vision of a modern basic security system. Therefore, we need to change our perspectives; we need to re-think society as a whole in its holistic form. To create a more “resilient society” (with the pillars of social inclusion, social capital and social mobility), we need new ideas, models and concepts in order to re-design basic social security. Besides, we are in transition to a new form of society, the network society, which operates in a structurally different and highly complex self-referential way and which also requires new political thinking and action.

In light of all this, this study aims to contribute to a scientific debate on how modern basic social security systems may cope with a transforming society, new work-life realities, and thus reflect the complexity and diversity of a European society that is under continuous change.

Within this event, we want to present the results of this study and discuss theories, ideas and opinions with an international panel.