On Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 October, the Member States of the European Union continued their work in a working party on the directive and recommendation on quality traineeships (see EUROPE 13490/12), with the aim of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council being to obtain a general approach at the Council of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers in December.
However, Member States expressed little enthusiasm for the latest changes to the texts proposed by the Commission in March.
While they appreciate the clarifications provided by Hungary, in part on the scope and the population of trainees targeted, and while the majority of them prefer this Hungarian version to the initial proposal, with the possible exception of Spain and Slovenia, who favour a more ambitious approach, they continue to doubt the usefulness of these tools. They are in particular currently working to achieve a text that, if it is not useful, would not have the effect of discouraging offers of traineeships or overloading labour inspection services.
Some Member States also want to ensure that these texts do not disrupt the general principles of labour law. The Nordic countries remain very sceptical about these new tools.
The priority given by some Member States is to further reduce the scope of application and the administrative burden. In particular, the majority would like to see the scope of the directive and recommendation aligned, with formal training excluded.
Discussions in the working party were seen as somewhat chaotic, with some delegations doubting the possibility of an agreement in December.
The next working party will take place on 24 October. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)