The European Parliament approved by a solid majority (472 in favour, 142 against, 39 abstentions) on Tuesday 16 April, the agreement reached with the EU Council on the regulation establishing the European Labour Authority (ELA).
The agreement reached, somewhat painfully (see EUROPE 12194/1), maintains the broad lines of activity proposed by the European Commission: - inform citizens and companies of their rights and duties in cross-border situations; - facilitate the exchange of information between Member States by bringing liaison officers, such as Europol, into contact in the same place; - coordinate and facilitate joint inspections at the request of Member States in a cross-border situation in cases of fraud, abuse and undeclared work; - play a mediation role (optional on issues related to the coordination of social security systems) in cases of disputes between two Member States.
The Authority will be fully operational in 2023 and will have a staff of more than 140, with an annual budget of around €50 million.
The question of which Member State will host its seat still remains. So far, two Member States have applied: Slovakia and Cyprus. Latvia has expressed interest. Bulgaria and Romania may also be interested.
To view the agreement in its clean version: https://bit.ly/2IkIcy8. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)