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The Parliament is due tol vote on the agreement reached with the Council on a new directive that sets minimum standards to improve working conditions for people who work through digital labour platforms. It introduces the first-ever EU rules regulating algorithmic management in the workplace. The directive is the outcome of difficult negotiations and sends a signal to taxi and food delivery drivers and domestic workers that the EU is determined to set straight platforms' use of gig work, albeit with ...

On 11 March 2024, employment and social affairs ministers from the EU Member States endorsed the agreement reached with the European Parliament in February 2024 on the platform work directive. The directive introduces the presumption of employment – to be applied following national rules – as well as the first EU rules to regulate algorithmic management in the workplace. Platform work is an umbrella concept covering a heterogeneous group of economic activities completed through a digital platform ...

European Works Councils (EWCs) are bodies that should guarantee employees the right to be consulted on important issues in large multinational companies active in multiple EU countries. The possibility to set up EWCs was introduced 30 years ago and the rules were revised in 2009. However, with limited rights to information and little influence, EWCs have been criticised for being ineffective, on account of unclear definitions, non-dissuasive sanctions and ineffective access to justice. In February ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...