Article 2 Tasks

to monitor the social situation and the development of social protection policies in the Member States and the Union;

to promote exchanges of information, experience and good practice between Member States and with the Commission;

without prejudice to Article 240 of the Treaty, to prepare reports, formulate opinions or undertake other work within its fields of competence, at the request of either the Council or the Commission or on its own initiative.

to make use of the open method of coordination, including by applying jointly agreed monitoring instruments and implementing mutually agreed evaluation arrangements in the implementation of common objectives agreed by the Council;

to contribute to all aspects of the European Semester within its field of competence and report on them to the Council;

to work, as appropriate, in cooperation with other relevant bodies and committees dealing with social and economic policy matters, such as the Employment Committee, the Economic and Financial Committee, the Economic Policy Committee and the Working Party on Public Health at Senior Level.