On Thursday 28 September, the European Commission launched the second phase of consultation with the European social partners with a view to updating the EU quality framework for traineeships in 2014.
The first phase ended on 15 September and involved the opinions of 13 European social partners. The existing framework sets out 21 principles to enable Member States to guarantee high-quality traineeships, including written traineeship agreements, clearly defined learning objectives and transparent information on pay and social protection.
The second phase of the consultation, open until 9 November, focuses on possible EU action on the quality (including fair pay and access to social protection) and accessibility of traineeships throughout the EU. The Commission has made a commitment to the European Parliament to propose an initiative on the subject.
In its consultation document, the Commission sets out the lessons learned from the first phase and notes that all the trade unions welcome a revision of this framework, while the nine employers' organisations consider that the 2014 framework is still relevant.
The trade unions have stated that a directive should set minimum standards for the duration and renewal of traineeships, learning objectives or the maximum number of trainees per company/organisation.
And while the Commission is considering whether new rules should include, for example, the introduction of minimum pay, employers prefer an update of the current Council Recommendation and want the term financial ‘compensation’ to replace ‘pay’.
With regard to the introduction of a ban on unpaid traineeships through EU legislation, the Commission notes, however, that the legal limits set by the Treaties will have to be respected.
Link to the consultation: https://aeur.eu/f/8sh (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)