Notably, the plan announces new actions and welcomes many of CoESS initiatives, such as efforts to promote:

1. diversity, equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination in the private security services, notably through CoESS and UNI Europas recent Social Partner Joint Statement.

2. sectoral training centres managed by the sectoral Social Partners in private security in many countries (see on www.securityskills.eu).

3. qualitative working conditions and services through Collective Bargaining.

4. plans to work with the Commission on a future EU Council Recommendation on cross-border background checks of security personnel (see the CoESS EU Elections Manifesto).

The Action Plan is a great recognition of the work of CoESS members and underlines the importance of our EU Sectoral Social Dialogue. The proposed plan also acknowledges that social partners are best placed to improve working conditions in certain occupations and sectors through their collective bargaining. The EU and Member States should therefore support social dialogue solutions at EU and national level and must respect the autonomy of the social partners.

The Action Plan recognises, amonst others, the increased need for security and enhanced resilience, and focuses initiatives on the following priorities:

1. Supporting the activation of underrepresented people in the labour market.

2. Providing support for skills, training and education under the recognition that the increased use of advanced technologies such as AI and big data, in addition to increasing cybersecurity risks, will increase upskilling needs.

3. Improving working conditions through possible legislative initiatives on the right to disconnect and the use of AI in workers management, as well as efforts to strengthen the fight against undeclared work.

4. Improving fair intra-EU mobility for workers and learners.

5. Attracting talent from outside the EU through better legal migration pathways and talent partnerships. 

CoESS will continue its efforts to tackle labour and skills shortages in the private security services, and will discuss plans with the European Commission and UNI Europa at the upcoming EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee meeting in April 2024. You can read the CoESS contribution to the Social Partner consultation on the EU Action Plan here.