On 26 April, the European Commission is expected to present its proposals for putting into practice the idea of a European pillar of social rights. The core of this will consist of four main areas of action.
Barely two months after the end of the public consultation on this subject, the Commission’s suggestions for providing some sort of body to its flagship “pillar” idea or “basis” for social rights are beginning to become known. The approach that currently appears to be getting promoted involves attempts to adapt current legislation to developments on the labour markets. This particularly involves providing a framework for new kinds of employment, which are expected to emerge, particularly in the digital sector.
In an initial raft of initiatives, the Commission is expected to propose revising the so-called “written declaration” (directive 91/533/EEC) on employers’ obligations to inform workers of the conditions applicable in the contract or in the working relationship. The Commission had already indicated that it was interested in possibly extending the scope of this directive to new kinds of employment. The Council of the EU and European Parliament also showed that they were in favour of this is kind of revision (see EUROPE 11686, 11707).
The second proposal relates to social protection systems. The Commission would put a new directive on the table in an effort to guarantee universal access to these systems. In third place, the Commission would present several initiatives on the balance between one’s working and private life and probably on parental leave. Finally, it is also expected to provide interpretive guidelines for an improved application of the directive on working time (2003/88/EC). (Original version in French by Jan Kordys and Sophie Petitjean)