On Monday 22 January, negotiators from the European Parliament and Council of the EU assessed all the different points of view until late in the evening, relating to the directive on the posting of workers. They also arranged the next trialogue inter-institutional negotiating session for 7 February in Strasbourg, during Parliament’s plenary session.
No progress was carried out during this trialogue, which was more concerned with providing an inventory of the different positions. According to the information we received, the question of posted workers in subcontracting was tackled, as well as cooperation between member states in tackling fraud and abuse, international road transport, extension of the legal basis of the legislative text, the question of transposing and implementing the directive, the revision clause and, partly, postings by temporary job agencies.
Two themes were put forward for the next inter-institutional meeting: the very controversial question of long-term postings and compensation for posted workers.
It should be recalled that several provisional agreements were reached under the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU, particularly on the definition of payments, the single official national site for constitutive elements of payment for posted workers and collective agreements (see EUROPE 11927).
The Bulgarian Council Presidency has made this legislative dossier one of its major priorities and is hoping to reach an inter-institutional agreement before the summer (see EUROPE 11933). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)