On Thursday 2 June, the national ambassadors of the Member States to the European Union (Coreper) supported the French Presidency of the Council of the EU in its efforts to find a final compromise with the European Parliament on the minimum wages directive on 6 June and gave it a new mandate to identify solutions with the Parliament.
Hoping that this new political trilogue would be the last one, Member States seemed to show signs of openness towards the European Parliament, even if they could not, according to one source, fully agree on the options put forward by the Presidency, for example on Article 6 and minimum wage variations and deductions (the possibility to exclude workers from minimum wage agreements), which is likely to remain one of the most difficult issues to resolve.
They also reiterated their hard points, according to this source, for example on Article 3 (on collective bargaining definitions) and the choice of using the term ‘trade unions’, which the European Parliament and some Member States defend, or the term ‘workers’ organisation’, favoured by other Member States, wanting to be sure that their model would not be challenged.
All member states spoke and wanted the Presidency to stay “as close as possible” to the mandate adopted by the EU Council, the source added. The Presidency will in any case work with the European Parliament’s negotiators between now and the trilogue on 6 June.
Other sources suggest that the EU Council is somewhat more open to the European Parliament’s demands, for example on wider coverage of collective bargaining or on enabling conditions for collective bargaining (Article 4). These more or less favourable impulses towards the European Parliament will however have to be confirmed by Monday. According to another source, a technical trilogue on Tuesday 31 May in any case allowed work on 20 recitals to be completed and a favourable outcome to be expected on Monday. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)