On April 10, The State Duma held parliamentary hearings on the topic: "The European Social Charter: the implementation of the provisions ratified by the Russian Federation and the prospects for its further ratification".

These hearings were attended by representatives of social partners: the First Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Sergey Velmyaykin, Head of the Department of Social Development of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia Konstantin Dobromyslov, Managing Director of the Office of the Labour Market and Social Partnership of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Marina Moskvina, as well as experts from the Council of Europe: Director of the Department of the European Social Charter and the European Code of Social Security, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe Regis Brillat and member of the European Committee on Social Rights of the Council of Europe Elena Machulskaya.

First Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Development Sergey Velmyaykin noted that the ratification of the Charter in 2009 by Russia was preceded by painstaking work on the improvement of social and labour legislation. As a result, significant progress was made in the demography and health: the increase of life expectancy, decrease of mortality and birth rates, creation of accessible environment for people with disabilities. But there is still a lot to do. Especially it concerns the sphere of occupational safety and health. Work-related fatality rate remains high in terms of European standards, despite the fact that these figures have been reduced almost three times for fifteen years. Unemployment benefits are still very low. We  have high rates of infant and maternal mortality, although for the last five- six years we managed to reduce them by half.

Sergey Velmyaykin stressed that the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation works on improving situation in these problematic spheres and the task of ratifying other provisions of the Charter can not be removed from the agenda and the Ministry is open to cooperate in this process.