The majority of EU Member States voted, in the first round, in favour of Slovakia's capital, Bratislava, as the seat of the future European Labour Agency, on the margins of the Employment and Social Policy Council (EPSCO) in Luxembourg on Thursday 13 June.
At the end of the secret ballot, Bratislava received 15 votes in the first round, i.e. the majority. The other capitals also competing for the seat, Nicosia, Riga and Sofia, received 7 votes for the first and 3 votes for the last two.
According to speculation, Bratislava had among its supporters some Member States of the Višegrad Group, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Malta, Finland, Greece, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
From the beginning, Bratislava was the favourite contender (see EUROPE 12269/16). Bratislava had been, in fact, the failed candidate during the selection process for the relocation of the European Medicines Agency. On another note, Bratislava is located in the centre of the European Union and represents the crossroads between Western and Eastern Europe, we were told.
This is a first step. Ján Richter, the Slovak Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, detailed the process to EUROPE. "It is our direct obligation in Bratislava to prepare (...) all the premises so that as of the first of October, 23, maybe 26 employees of European Labour Agency will be able to start working in Bratislava", the Minister explained.
"About the timeline, at the end of October in Brussels, the first meeting of the Management Board should take place. Every Member State will be present in that Board and then Member States of the Management Board will vote on the Chair and Deputy Chair", continued the Slovak Minister.
He indicated that it will be up to the European Commission to decide on the conditions for the management and for the Executive Director. It will be the Management Board which will vote on staffing this senior post. "I assume it (the procedure) will be very similar to the procedures in other European institutions", added Mr Richter, who expects the Agency to employ more than 140 workers after 2 years.
Already at present, five to six people are working in Brussels to prepare for the European Labour Agency. The timetable would be as follows: once the Regulation enters into force, the European Commission should present its letter of appointment for the Management Board at the end of June or beginning of July, to launch the call for applications procedure, which should end in September. We received confirmation that the first inaugural meeting of this Management Board will then be held in October. The Executive Director is expected to be elected next year.
Non-Member States workers. Asked by EUROPE about his vision of the tasks that will fall to the future Agency, the Slovak Minister stressed the need to control workers from non-Member States as well. "If we have labour forces from Moldava or Serbia, when they enter into the European Union, they are here as other people on the territory of the European Union – of course not exactly as EU citizens – but they are here in the EU labour Market. That’s why we cannot avoid the issue of non-Member State nationals, because they are a part of the European labour market", he analysed.
Regulations adopted. On the same day, Ministers adopted the regulation establishing the Agency by a strong majority. Only Hungary, Austria and Sweden voted against. Its entry into force is scheduled for mid-July. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)