According to the information we have received, the sixth inter-institutional meeting on the directive on posted workers held during the late afternoon on Wednesday 7 February, was constructive. We were also informed that provisional agreements were reached on allowances for posted workers and postings organised by temporary employment agencies.
According to our sources, discussions on cooperation between the national authorities in tackling fraud and abuses were expected to be concluded at the next inter-institutional meeting planned for 28 February next.
These provisional agreements also come on top of those reached on the definition of payment, the single official national site on the constitutive factors for the payment of posted workers and collective agreements, which largely occupied the co-legislators during the tenure of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 11927).
The most "political" dossiers and, therefore, the most difficult ones, due to the sharp divisions between the Council and the European Parliament, now need to be resolved (see EUROPE 11890), namely: - the question of extending the legal basis of the directive, as requested by the European Commission, in this specific case by the S&D; - postings included in subcontracting cases, as requested by Parliament but which were not included in the Council's general approach; - the question of international road transport; - the directive transposition deadline; - the duration of long-term postings for workers.
This final point looks like it is going to be the most difficult one to tackle, according to several European sources and is expected to be the subject of last minute debates in the negotiations. The Council is clutching to the mandate that was obtained after much difficulty in October 2017 (see EUROPE 11889).
The report by the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU to COREPER is expected to take place on 14 February next during the COREPER meeting.
It should be recalled that the Bulgarian Presidency has set itself the task of reaching an inter-institutional agreement on this legislative dossier that it is prioritising, during its mandate (see EUROPE 11933). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)