Brussels, 03/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 3 March, the EPP group of the European Parliament finally took position in favour of a targeted revision of the 1996 directive on worker secondment, but in the hope that this will not be done until after an analysis of the implementation of the existing rules, which is nothing other than the procedure initially adopted by the European Commission, before changing its mind.
This revision was the most hotly debated point in the drafting of the EPP's position on the future of social policy at EU level, as shown by the meeting of the bureau of the group at the end of January (see EUROPE 11479). In the framework document, which was put together by Maltese MEP David Casa and which has just been adopted by all of the EPP members, the revision of Directive 96/71/EC is finally dealt with in last position, the result of a delicate compromise.
The crux of this compromise is that if there should be a targeted revision of the directive, this should be based on an assessment of the implementation of the 2014 enforcement directive. However, the member states still have just over three months to transpose it and so far, have shown that they are in little hurry to do so. The desire of the EPP to have this timetable of actions is ultimately exactly what the Commission wished to do at the start of its mandate, as Commissioner Marianne Thyssen made clear in her hearing before the EP (see EUROPE 11167).
This commitment of the Commission has undergone changes along the way and the proposal for a targeted provision of the 1996 directive is expected to be adopted by the college of commissioners on Tuesday 8 March, with no prior assessment of the situation. This will lead to impassioned reactions and the negotiations will be “horrible”, a diplomat representing a member state in favour of the revision told EUROPE.
The EP is aware of the deep feelings the Commission's proposal will bring to light, hence its call for a targeted and measured revision: “We insist that if this process starts, it should only touch upon the necessary unsolved elements in order to ensure just treatment of workers and a level playing field for business. A revised Directive must continue to facilitate the freedom to provide services (and) any proposed measures must be clear, proportionate, non-discriminatory and justified and respect the different wage-setting mechanisms in the member states”. (Original version in French by Jan Kordys)