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The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights in 2017. Spelled out in 20 principles, the social pillar has since served as a compass towards building a stronger social Europe. In the related action plan, the Commission set out concrete initiatives and, after the Porto Social Summit of May 2021, EU lawmakers committed to headline targets for 2030 regarding employment, training, and poverty. Consequently, this legislative term has seen ...

As the European Union's only directly elected institution, the European Parliament stands at the heart of European representative democracy, the foundation upon which the EU is built. Since its creation, the Parliament's powers have evolved significantly, and it is now a fully fledged legislative body and forum for discussion and engagement, whose influence is felt in virtually all areas of EU activity. This paper offers an overview of the European Parliament's main powers, demonstrating how they ...

Access to housing in the EU has become problematic in recent years. Demography and urbanisation-related structural factors, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, soaring energy prices, the cost-of-living crisis and (already high) housing prices that keep rising are preventing many people from accessing decent housing solutions. The lack of affordable housing supply only adds to this situation. These difficulties affect not only low- but now also middle-income households, as ...

Under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), Czechia's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) had an initial value of €7 036 million in grants only. In June 2022, Czechia's initial RRF grant allocation was revised upwards to €7 673.7 million (+ 9.1 %). In June 2023, Czechia submitted a request to modify its NRRP. The amended plan amounts to a total of €9 231.3 million. It now includes a new REPowerEU chapter with an additional grant allocation of €680.5 million. Czechia also requested ...

Although a provisional political agreement between the Council and Parliament was announced on 13 December 2023, 10 Member States could not endorse this agreement on 22 December 2023. The Belgian Presidency is seeking to revive informal discussions with the European Parliament so as to set a date for new negotiations. Platform work is an umbrella concept covering a heterogeneous group of economic activities completed through a digital platform. Platform workers' rights are not enshrined in EU labour ...

Under EU rules, EU citizens are free to reside and work in any Member State, and can be posted to any other EU country to provide a service job. By contrast, labour migration by third-country nationals (TCNs) is controlled by a different regulatory framework. However, Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) case law provides that TCNs with work and residence permits in one Member State may be posted across the EU to perform temporary work. The posting of TCN workers is increasingly being used ...

People in Europe are living and staying healthy for longer, and this is considered to be one of the great developments of the last hundred years. However, in combination with low birth rates and economic uncertainties, this phenomenon puts into question the future financial sustainability of pension systems and several welfare state parameters. Pension systems are a key element of social protection for older people. They are meant to provide older citizens beyond working age with an income in the ...

Reforming long-term care in the EU

At a Glance 14-09-2023

Everybody either needs or has to provide care at some time in their life. The pandemic showed how vital care provision is, and turned health and care workers into heroes. While these workers are no longer applauded daily, the need for them is still there. As Europe's population ages, demand for long-term care in particular is rising, while not enough people are interested in taking up care jobs. This paper looks at actions taken by the EU in relation to long-term care, and highlights some of the ...

Platform work is on the rise, with hundreds of digital platforms active in the EU and millions of workers earning some income by working for them. A proposed EU directive seeks to set criteria to determine whether platform workers are self-employed or employees, which is key for improving their working conditions and social rights. In addition, it would set the first EU rules on the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. With their positions agreed, the European Parliament and the Council ...

Cannabis is by far the most commonly used illicit drug (referred to as drug in this briefing) in the European Union (EU), where its distribution, cultivation, possession and use (consumption) are largely prohibited. The prohibition of drug-related activities other than those performed for medical or scientific purposes is the defining feature of the international drug control system. Set up by the United Nations (UN), this system is composed of three complementary conventions, to which all EU Member ...