EU ombudsman sounds alarm on tobacco lobby influence
Veteran European ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has cautioned about the risks of tobacco lobbying’s influence on the European Commission.
Health & Society
EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree
The so-called “European degree” is to be a new type of diploma, awarded after transnational programmes run at national, regional or institutional level โ and on a voluntary basis.
EU commisisoner ล uica sounds alarm on demographic shift
The EU will have to step up its efforts to tackle looming demographic challenges over the next five years. If not, the bloc faces “sleepwalking into dark scenarios”, warns EU commission vice-president Dubravka ล uica.
EU plan to end bogus internships โ but not ban unpaid ones
The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a new package to improve the rights of trainees, including a directive to tackle bogus internships โ but not a ban on unpaid internships.
Forced-labour profits booming, as EU mulls laws
Illegal profits from forced labour around the world have increased by 37 percent in the last decade to a total of $236bn a year โ 73 percent of it comes from the commercial sexual exploitation of victims, new report shows.
EU ministers call for social investment, amid budget cuts
EU ministers meeting in Brussels stressed that social investments are not just expenses but also generate revenue.
MEPs urge capitals to ratify violence at work convention
With 517 votes in favour, 59 against and 26 abstentions, MEPs called on member states to ratify the first international treaty to recognise the right to be free from violence at work.
[Analysis] Five years of EU gender policy โย hits and misses
On International Women’s Day, EUobserver took a closer look at the last five years of gender policy โ has the EU been ambitious enough in achieving equality? What were the main hits and misses? And where needs more work?
EU agrees rules to ban products made with forced labour
The new rules will allow authorities to ban a product from the single market if it is found to have been made using forced labour, regardless of whether it is imported into the EU or manufactured within the bloc.
‘Outdated’ rules bar MEP from entering plenary with child
During a plenary session in Strasbourg, an MEP was denied access to the chamber because he was carrying his young child, due to unforeseen circumstances. The episode shows parliament’s rules need to be updated, several MEPs told EUobserver.
EU urban-rural divide not bridged by cohesion policy, report finds
The EU’s cohesion policy has failed to tackle the widening gap between cities and regions โ fuelling a growing discontent that is boosting eurosceptic parties across the continent.
New EU social security coordination rules hit a dead end
The clock is ticking and MEPs want to agree new rules to update the EU’s social security coordination, but the file has been left unfinished under 12 EU presidencies โ and the Belgian presidency won’t be the exception.
Greece becomes first Orthodox state to legalise gay marriage
Only 15 EU countries allow same-sex marriage, preventing equal rights for ‘rainbow families’, but Greece just became the first Orthodox Christian country to break the tabu.
Hate against Muslims and Jews still rising, says EU commission
An explosion of hatred against Muslims and Jews continues to spread throughout the EU, says the European Commission.
EU’s first gender-based violence law a ‘big disappointment’
The EU has adopted a provisional agreement on a directive to combat violence against women, the first-ever EU rules to fight gender based violence. But it does not include rape as ‘sex without consent’, or a ban on forced sterilisation.
EU internships still a ‘Wild West’ for young workers
In the last decade, young Europeans have taken up more and more traineeships in the EU โ but their quality still remains a challenge, and trade unions and youth organisations are now calling for a ban on unpaid internships.
MEP: Slave-labour burden of proof should be on companies
The EU is drafting new rules to investigate, ban and ultimately remove a product from the single market if forced labour is used. However, the three institutions remain far apart on redress for victims, who investigates, and slave-labour by states.
EU’s green renovation wave lacks plan to deal with asbestos
By 2030, 35 million buildings in the EU will be either renovated or demolished under the Green Deal โ yet there is still no directive to determine the extent of asbestos contamination in Europe, the leading cause of workplace fatalities.
As EU birth-rates plummet, nativist family politics ascend
At 1.5 children-per-woman, the EU cannot ensure a sufficient population replacement rate โ which threatens welfare models and care of an ageing population. So ahead of the European elections, far-right candidates are offering Orbรกn-style nativist fami…
[Interview] New French Renew boss at odds with Macron on gender-violence
Leading MEPs have confirmed that the member states cannot agree on incluing rape in the directive to combat violence against women. About 15 countries are in favour, but with Germany and France against it, there is no qualified majority.
EU proposes new powers for European Works Councils
The EU Commission has proposed a new revision of the directive on European Works Councils, the bodies that represent workers at company level, after 15 years without revision, in order to address a number of shortcomings.
[Investigation] A hidden threat: Asbestos fibres in our drinking water
Thousands of kilometres of decaying asbestos cement water pipes are releasing possibly carcinogenic fibres into drinking water across Europe, but thus far, no EU measurement or reporting standards are in place.
Amazon snubs EU hearing on warehouse work conditions
Amazon refused to participate in an EU parliamentary hearing on working conditions in its warehouses, prompting criticism from MEPs. The hearing came the same day Amazon received a โฌ32m fine over an “overly intrusive” surveillance system in France.
Two big omissions risk making EU forced-labour ban toothless
Member states are worried about the domestic costs of investigating forced-labour abuses, whilst two major omissions in the council’s latest draft risk making the regulation toothless: no reference to remediation for victims, and no reference to state-…
MEPs: Cost-of-living crisis means poverty ‘has a female face’
Poverty has a female face, MEPs agreed on Thursday, passing a resolution calling on both the EU Commission and member states to strengthen the gender perspective in their green and social plans. Only six male MEPs spoke at the debate.
EU’s five biggest billionaires’ wealth surges 76 percent
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, according to a new report that highlights the reasons behind worrying figures โ such as the fact that global poverty will not be eradicated for another 229 years.
EU fears as microplastics spill hits French/Spanish coastlines
As the coastline of Galicia in northern Spain wakes up to another day with hundreds of volunteers cleaning microplastics from the beach, the EU has sounded the alarm about the impacts of plastic pellets on the environment and human health.
MEPs demand fewer barriers for disabled people moving in the EU
MEPs have proposed a free disability card, but they also want to go further than the Commission’s original proposal, which focused on short-term stays rather than living situations, creating some financial barriers to the right to free movement.
EU hopes for youth surge in June, asks Taylor Swift for help
The next EU elections will take place in June 2024, and the Commission is already expecting a surge in youth voting, which was a major contributor to the unprecedented turnout in the 2019 elections.
Labour market imbalances ‘may be structural’ warning
2023 saw encouraging figures in the labour market, says a new report from the International Labour Organisation. However, low productivity and falling living standards project a cloudy outlook for 2024.
[Feature] EU innovation funds prop up the throw-away market
A funding body established and governed jointly by the European Commission and an industry group awarded numerous grants to research and develop packaging products that lack proper disposal options in the common market.
EU wants to end bogus internships, but not unpaid ones
The European Commission is preparing a proposal to improve working conditions for trainees in the EU. The initiative is expected in the first semester of 2024, but so far seems to focus more on ending bogus internships than unpaid internships.
[Feature] The voices of EU’s forcibly-sterilised disabled women
Forced sterilisation is still legal in the EU. Disabled women, especially those under guardianship, are the most vulnerable to being subjected to it. Now, MEPs are trying to ban the practice, via the directive on combating violence against women.
[Investigation] Nurdle pollution: old problem, same legislative challenges
Nurdle pollution is not a recent occurrence: the earliest reported sightings of plastic pellets on beaches date back to the early 1970s. Yet no specific legislation has been introduced since then.
[Investigation] Nurdles: Europe’s worst unknown plastic pollution crisis
From the rugged coastlines of the North Sea to the sun-drenched beaches of the southern Mediterranean, Europe faces a pervasive yet little-known environmental threat: nurdles โ the overlooked issue in the plastic pollution debate.
[Analysis] Hits and misses of EU supply-chain due-diligence law
The EU has reached an agreement on the due diligence directive, making large EU and non-EU companies accountable for their negative impacts on human rights and the environment โ but with an exemption and some gaps at its core.
EU staff in Amsterdam ‘extremely’ upset by brothel
EU officials from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Amsterdam are “extremely” upset by the prospect of living cheek by jowl with one of Europe’s biggest brothels in future.
[Interview] Non-EU workers to fill gaps ‘not a plan’, warns union boss
EUobserver interviewed the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to discuss labour migration, staff shortages and working conditions โ in views that strongly clash with the EU Commission’s plan to attract more legal migrant…
MEPs call for EU-wide recognition of same-sex parents
The European Parliament wants more rights for same sex parents and their children, but far-right MEPs heavily criticised this idea.
Hazardous chemicals found in one-in-five inspected products
EU national agencies have found “excessive levels of hazardous chemicals,” such as lead and plasticizers, in 18 percent of consumer products investigated.
[Analysis] How Moldova is trying to control tuberculosis
Moldova, Europe’s poorest country, is working hard to combat tuberculosis. The country wants to be tuberculosis-free by 2030, at the same time as joining the EU. That’s quite a challenge.
Paris and Berlin key to including rape in gender-violence directive
Inter-institutional negotiations on the EU directive to combat violence against women have stalled over the inclusion of rape in the text โ which member states such as Germany and France say is outside the EU’s remit.
Member states stall on EU ban on forced-labour products
More than two years after the EU Commission first proposed a law on forced labour, inter-institutional negotiations have not started because member states cannot reach agreement โ risking the text’s adoption before the 2024 European Parliament election…
Strikes across Europe squeeze Amazon on ‘Black Friday’
On one of its most profitable retail days of the year, Black Friday, online giant Amazon faces a wave of protests and demonstrations in more than 30 countries demanding better wages, fair tax payments and greater accountability for the planet.
‘Fucking furious’: MEPs urge action on gender violence
MEPs across the political spectrum united on Thursday to send a clear message: a robust directive on violence against women is needed โ and the European Council must unblock the negotiations before the end of the mandate.
Musk’s Tesla problem in Sweden โ how a strike snowballed
Tesla is facing combined opposition from its Swedish employees, trade unions and even companies in the industry itself. A small industrial dispute over the rejection of a collective agreement has snowballed in little over a month.
Forever chemicals will be the ‘new asbestos’, investors warn
In the wake of emerging litigation and regulation on so-called forever chemicals, there are growing worries among investors that PFAS could be the ‘new asbestos.’
[Analysis] The poisoned legacy of Poland’s PiS for Tusk โ pension reform
The PiS gained support by lowering the retirement age. For the Polish opposition, which is now likely to form the new government, the pension system will be a great challenge โ but change is only a matter of time.
EU top court rejects industry appeal over ‘forever chemicals’
The European Court of Justice has dismissed Chemours’ appeal challenging the classification of so-called ‘GenX’ chemicals as a “substance of very high concern” by the EU chemical agency.
Crunch point in talks on EU gig workers’ employment status
The ‘presumption of employment’ crux continues to hold up agreement on a final text to improve conditions for digital platform workers. On Thursday, the EU institutions will meet again on the technical aspects of the agreement.
EU cost of living continues to rise much faster than wages
EU unemployment remains low at six percent, but food and energy prices remain high and wages are not keeping pace, meaning workers are losing purchasing power, the latest data shows.
[Interview] Hits and misses of EU workplace and jobs legislation
Ahead of the 2024 elections, EUobserver talked to the Socialists & Democrats spokesperson for employment, Dutch MEP Agnes Jongerius, about past ‘successes’ on the minimum wage and platform workers, and future challenges on quality traineeships and AI i…
EU labour market as ‘gender-segregated as a decade ago’
The EU Gender Equality Index records the biggest-ever jump in its overall score, but there are major nuances behind it โ such as the unpaid care burden between men and women, and the gender pay-gap.
Rural Europe left behind on pay and prospects, report warns
Residents of rural areas in the EU feel neglected by their institutions and governments, as gaps in provision and living conditions compared with urban conurbations have increased in the past decade, a new Eurofound report warns.
UN poverty expert proposes penalising pay of ‘harmful’ jobs
Wages should be based on social contribution, rewarding low-paid posts in care, charity work or the health sector, says a new global report on in-work poverty by the UN’s poverty expert. And capping salaries in fossil-fuels, pesticides and tobacco.
MEPs agree EU ban on forced-labour goods, but Council stalls
The EU is working on a ban on products made with forced labour. MEPs gave a first green light to the legislationโ but progress in the Council is still lagging far behind to start the inter-institutional negotiations.
EU made ‘little difference’ to disabled lives, find auditors
EU action aimed at improving the living and working conditions of the 87 million people with disabilities have shown little impact in recent years, a new report by the European Court of Auditors found.
EU states at crossroads on weed-killer renewal
Representatives from EU governments will discuss and vote on the European Commission’s proposal to renew the glyphosate’s market license for another ten years this week. But it remains unclear if there is a majority to approve the renewal.
Global North-South inequality โ can the EU do anything?
Inequalities between the Global North and the South are growing, exacerbated by food insecurity, climate change, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. What has been the EU’s response โ and what are the prospects?
[Feature] Coming-of-age โ what do young want at 2024 EP election?
Young people’s turnout in the 2019 European elections was the lowest of all age groups. Among the reasons: lack of youth representation among MEPs, logistical reasons, and a gap between what they care about and what’s on offer.
Work-related deaths on rise in almost half of EU
The number of fatal accidents at work increased in 12 EU countries from 2020 to 2021, and new safety challenges posed by climate change are creating fresh risks.
‘Protesters aren’t criminals’, 10,000 strikers say in Brussels
Around 10,000 people in Brussels on Thursday took part in a nationwide strike against the ‘Van Quickenborne bill’ on restricting protesters’ freedoms.
[Analysis] The EU has a lack-of-teachers crisis โ here’s why
The EU needs teachers. 40 percent are over 50 years old, salaries are not attractive enough, classes are very large, and the work-life balance has become more problematic since the Covid-19 pandemic.
House prices squeezing EU citizens, MEPs warn
House prices, mortgages and rents are strangling citizens across Europe, depriving 895,000 people of access to housing, as the cost of living crisis, the fallout from the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic put ever-more pressure on people’s pockets.
EU women promised new dawn under anti-violence pact
The EU is meant to become a safer place for women from Sunday (1 October), as the Istanbul Convention enters into force.
Poland’s culture of fear after three years of abortion ‘ban’
Poland in 2020 imposed a near-total ban on abortion, triggering mass protests โ and today the demands for access to safe abortion continue. On International Safe Abortion Day, dozens gathered in Brussels calling for solidarity among member states.
EU Ombudsman warns of ‘new normal’ of crisis decision-making
Emily O’Reilly cited the post-pandemic recovery funds, the windfall taxes on energy companies, and the joint purchase of vaccines, as procedures which received limited scrutiny from the national parliaments โ as a result of emergency decision-making po…
[Analysis] Women at risk from shoddy EU laws on domestic workers
Gaps in EU law mean 9.5 million domestic workers, many of whom are women and undocumented migrants, face exclusion from minimum labour rights.
Why Greek state workers are protesting new labour law
Thousands of Greek state workers are protesting against changes to the labour law proposed by the conservative Mitsotakis government. These include a six-day week, working hours of up to 13 hours and ‘on-call’ contracts.
Prostitution is not work, it is ‘violence’, MEPs agree
The European Parliament adopted a report calling on the European Commission to draw up common guidelines to guarantee minimum rights for people in prostitution. MEPs also urged member states, which have the power to regulate prostitution, to review exi…
Report: EU ‘single permit’ risks migrant exploitation
The commission is reviewing the 2011 single permit directive for third-country nationals to live and work in the EU. A new study shows that its design facilitates the exploitation and increases the dependency of migrant workers on their employers.
EU chief links farming with climate to appease centre-right
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced “a strategic dialogue” on the future of EU agriculture โ in response to the wave of criticism led by her own centre-right party in the European Parliament against some green policies.
EUโs โฌ500m gender violence plan falls short, say auditors
The ‘Spotlight Initiative’ was launched in 2017 with a budget of โฌ500 million to end all forms of violence or harmful practices against women and girls in partner countries, but so far it has had “little impact”, say EU auditors.
New police station promised for Brussels-Midi amid drug problem
Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo announced a set of 22 measures in response to concerns about crack abuse and insecurity around the Brussels Midi station โ a key interchange for local, national, and international destinations from the capital c…
EU’s new disability card โ a hit for trips, ‘insufficient’ for moving
The EU Commission unveiled its new EU disability card to ensure mutual recognition of disabled status across the EU and access essential benefits and services โ but there are still some shortcomings.
School supplies rise in price twice as fast as EU wages
Up to May this year, the cost of basic school supplies rose 13 percent, while wages increased by just six percent. A situation that worsens the cost-of-living crisis and the situation of children at risk of poverty in the EU.
[Feature] Burdens hindering 87m disabled citizens moving within EU
Moving between EU states for the 87 million European citizens with disabilities is far from a reality โ due to the fragmentation of disability-recognition systems and insufficient coordination of social security systems across EU countries.
Job insecurity ‘undermines’ voting and political participation
Job insecurity affect workers’ perceptions of fairness, well-being, trust, sense of social exclusion or political participation, finds a new report. “They are less likely to vote in elections and less likely to participate in demonstrations โ an indica…
‘It’s over’: World Cup kiss prompts Spain’s ‘metoo’ protests
Outrage grew in Spain when prosecutors announced an investigation into the Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales to clarify whether his kiss on the lips of Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the Women’s World Cup constituted an offence of sexual assault.
10 EU states cutting firefighters, despite summer wildfires
Climate change has increased the severity and frequency of heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires. Yet despite this, the number of firefighters has been cut in 10 EU countries in recent years.
New EU ‘Youth Test’ to check policies for 15-29 year olds
To date, existing measures to give young people a say in the policies that affect them have either been limited to areas such as culture or education, or have been designed for young people rather than with or by them.
[Feature] The visa downside of digital nomadsโ Instagram lifestyle
Some EU countries offer ‘digital nomad visas’ to attract high-skilled workers and boost their economies, but there is no unified framework at EU level, resulting in pitfalls and legal uncertainties.
Digital platforms โ the ‘uber-isation’ of care for the elderly
‘Uber-style’ platforms offer carers what appear to be higher wages, flexibility, and locations close to home โ but unions warn of the hidden risks and long-term consequences of these jobs.
Household living standards fall in almost half EU countries
Unemployment levels remain at record lows, but household incomes and living conditions are deteriorating sharply in many European countries. Even holidays, or certain foods, have become a luxury.
EU report tests targeting tax cuts at low-paid
The EU Commission report analysed a series of hypothetical reforms to the tax systems of Austria, Hungary, Italy, Belgium and Spain, and found targeted measures have a greater impact on labour supply than across-the-board cuts in personal income tax.
[Feature] Is Europe sleeping on the roll-out of night trains?
Re-launching sleeper trains in Europe might help save the environment โ but it won’t be easy. EUobserver embarked on a journey aboard the new night train from Berlin to Brussels, and sheds light on the attractions and obstacles.
Wanted: 1m signatures for EU tax on super-rich
A group of activists, economists, politicians, and even some billionaires, have registered an initiative calling on the EU to introduce an tax on the very rich to fund social and environmental transitions โ is it feasible?
[Analysis] Spain’s โฌ20,000 for all 23-year olds: radical, realistic, or ridiculous?
The Spanish leftwing Sumar party’s plan is to offer โฌ20,000 to all 23-year-olds, regardless of wealth, to boost their prospects in life. But to what extent is such a proposal economically viable? And why universal, and not targeted?
What’s causing Hungary’s ‘revenge law’ protests?
Over the past year and a half, teachers, students and other members of civil society have been raising their voices against poor pay and heavy workloadsโwhat’s changing after this new education law? And why is it called ‘revenge law’?
[Analysis] Tackling young Europeans’ ticking time bomb โ mental health
Mental health problems among the young are on the rise. A proposal from the Spanish presidency, dated 23 June and seen by EUobserver, stresses the urgency of tackling the problem and sets out a series of policies to address it.
UN’s radical ‘job guarantee’ idea creates stir in Europe
A UN expert proposes a job guarantee as a mechanism to tackle poverty, a lack of decent jobs, and the employment challenges of a ‘greening’ economy.
The missing metric in EU labour policy: job quality
In recent decades, the EU has focused so much on job creation that it has forgotten about the quality of those jobs โ with major differences between regions and between men and women, a new study reveals.
EU to cut down asbestos exposure for workers to Dutch level
New EU rules on asbestos are seen as a victory by members of the European Parliament who have demanded a general overhaul of EU’s asbestos policies.
[Analysis] EU Child Guarantee under fire as poverty figures rise
Two years (and two crises) after the EU Child Guarantee, the targets for reducing child poverty seem further away than ever. The guarantee is supposed to set minimum standards for housing, health, education and health โ but is not legally-binding.