In their statement, CoESS and UNI Europa express their surprise and concern that one of the horizontally most impactful tools to improve job quality - public procurement - was not addressed in the Commission’s consultation note. This omission overlooks a critical barrier and enabler to quality employment, particularly in essential sectors such as private security that will be critical for the implementation of the EU Preparedness Union. As Enrico Letta rightly states in his EU Single Market Report, “public procurement regulations must ensure that contracts foster the creation of high-quality jobs, characterised by fair wages and conditions underpinned by Collective Agreements.” CoESS and UNI Europa therefore urge the Commission to make the ongoing revision of Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement a core pillar of the Quality Jobs Roadmap, and explain how to simplify the current Directive and provide legal certainty for buyers to award and enforce quality. 

Through their EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee, CoESS and UNI Europa further commit to activities that aim to ensure qualitative working conditions, to promote the retention of workers through re- and upskilling, and to accompany a just transition of the sector for both companies and workers that reflects the growing expectations of law enforcement, other public authorities and private clients towards private security services. The concrete commitments, incl. on matters such as fighting undeclared work and the integration of AI, can be found here.