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Young carers (YCs) are children under the age of 18 providing informal, unpaid and often unrecognised care to members of the household suffering from disabilities or otherwise requiring regular care. This in-depth analysis reviews a range of literature on legal recognition, stakeholder awareness and policies adopted at different levels in the EU regarding YCs. The aim is to provide readers with an appropriate evidence base and inform policy action in this area.

A ‘posted worker’ is a worker who is sent by his or her employer to provide a service in another EU Member State on a temporary basis. Freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services are fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The principle governing the status of posted workers is ‘equal pay for the same work in the same place’.

The coordination of social security facilitates the free movement of people within the EU. A fundamental reform of legislation in this area was carried out in 2010 and was supplemented by further legal acts improving the protection of mobile workers’ rights. In 2016, the Commission included proposals in the Labour Mobility Package to further reform the system and adapt it to modern economic and social realities in the EU.

The European Union complements the Member States’ activities with regard to the right of workers to information and consultation by adopting minimum requirements by means of directives or through measures designed to encourage cooperation between the Member States. A number of EU directives protect the rights of workers to information and consultation at company level by establishing rules for both the national and transnational levels.

One of the four freedoms enjoyed by EU citizens is the free movement of workers. This includes the rights of movement and residence for workers, the rights of entry and residence for family members, and the right to work in another Member State and be treated on an equal footing with nationals of that Member State. Restrictions apply for the public service. The European Labour Authority serves as a dedicated agency for the free movement of workers, including posted workers.

Improving health and safety at work has been an important issue for the EU since the 1980s. The introduction of legislation at European level set minimum standards for the protection of workers, while allowing Member States to maintain or introduce more stringent measures. Health and safety at work is a key component of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, which was adopted at the Lisbon Social Summit in 2021.

The European Child Guarantee, adopted on 14 June 2021, aims to ensure that every child in Europe at risk of poverty or social exclusion has access to the following key services: 1) early childhood education and care, 2) education (including school-based activities), 3) healthcare, 4) nutrition, 5) housing. Member States were required to submit national action plans for the implementation of the Child Guarantee by 15 March 2022. By mid-October 2022, 15 plans had been submitted. The European Pillar ...

The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission have committed to listen to Europeans and to follow up, within their sphere of competences, on the recommendations made. In this framework, four European Citizens’ Panels have been organized to allow citizens to jointly think about the future they want for the European Union • Panel 1 - "Stronger economy, social justice, jobs, education, culture, sport, digital transformation" • Panel 2 - "EU democracy, values, rights, rule of law ...

As EU Member States embark on a cautious de-confinement path, the economy slides into recession and the question of the proportionality of public health-related measures and their economic consequences is increasingly present in the public debate. As long as a vaccine (or an effective treatment) for the Covid-19 disease is not found and deployed, post-Covid-19 societies will have to coexist with the virus, and find an equilibrium between the social constraints resulting from health protecting measures ...

The briefing reviews social and employment policy recommendations made by European and international organisations in relation to the coronavirus crisis.