14/01/2021 (Agence Europe) – The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will soon adopt an opinion on the right to disconnection; they also organised a hearing on this issue on Thursday 7 January in the presence of social partners (BusinessEurope and ETUC), members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU. They all recognised the advantages of remote working (flexibility), especially at the moment during the pandemic, but they also recognise the risks (encroachment of the professional sphere on the private sphere and limits regarding working hours not being respected). Several speakers emphasised the need to guarantee the right to return to the workplace. The Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council has announced that it will organise a high-level conference on the issue in March. By way of reminder, MEPs are calling for a directive to establish this right at European level (see EUROPE 12614/28). (PH)