Social Europe & Jobs
Youth unemployment hurts communities, its time for a new deal, says Andor
Est. 9minYouth unemployment stings and weakens communities, said László Andor, Former EU Commissioner for Employment. Andor called for new EU-level regulation to deal with the impact of the digital revolution on work.
Thousands protest over salaries, Gaza at France May Day marches
Est. 3minThousands marched at May Day protests across France on Wednesday (1 May), making demands ranging from better salaries to a ceasefire in Gaza, with minor skirmishes in some cities.
Oliver Röpke’s big tent approach in his first year as EESC president
Est. 6minAfter one year in office, the launch of a bold manifesto including the voices of youth, an emphasis on gender equality, and a fresh approach to enlargement, Oliver Röpke, President of the EESC is making waves with a Blue Deal.
Europe must urgently tackle its housing crisis, warn EU officials
Est. 5minAddressing Europe’s shortage of affordable housing is crucial to tackling the continent’s cost of living crisis and establishing a viable social market economy, panellists convened by the EPP told a group conference.
Germany’s Lindner wants to topple EU corporate due diligence law
Est. 5minGerman liberals have confirmed the abstention of the German government on the EU’s proposal for a corporate due diligence law that would see companies becoming liable for human right breaches in their supply chains.
Macron leaves angry farmers for soon-to-be NATO member Sweden
Est. 3minFrench President Emmanuel Macron begins a two-day state visit to Sweden on Tuesday (30 January), with the Nordic country on the cusp of becoming a NATO member following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Immigration 101, for the attention of the French
Est. 10minWelcome to Euractiv’s weekly Economy Brief. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. France's political imbroglio over its immigration bill on Monday has resulted in an ambitious mechanism to grant one-year automatic visas to irregular workers being dropped. …
EU lawmakers nail down rules for platform workers
Est. 5minThe representatives of the main EU institutions reached a provisional agreement over the Platform Workers Directive in the early hours of Wednesday (13 December) after almost two years of strenuous negotiations.
Nobel economist: Rapid technological changes drive EU skills shortages
Est. 5minSkills shortages across the EU can be explained by technological changes so rapid that workers and companies alike are struggling to keep up, labour economics scholar and Nobel prize winner Christopher Pissarides told Euractiv in an interview on Friday (1 December).
Want French cash? Stay in France, MP tells businesses
Est. 5minMultinationals who want access to French public investments must remain in the country for a minimum of ten years after receiving the funds, according to an amendment to the 2024 budget bill.
EU policymakers brace for clash in thorny debate over platform workers’ status
Est. 5minEU institutions are preparing for confrontation over the functioning of the legal presumption of employment, the most sensitive aspect of the Platform Workers Directive, in a trilogue next Thursday (9 November).
Commission calls on EU countries to adapt to ageing population
Est. 4minThe EU Commission called on member states to adapt all their policies to the longer life expectancies of citizens, but it did not make any concrete proposals and shied away from tackling controversial topics such as an increase in retirement ages.
Desperate foreign truckers stage hunger strike in Germany
Est. 4minForeign truck drivers who transport goods around Europe have staged a hunger strike in Germany as part of a weeks-long work stoppage, describing it as their "last hope" to draw attention to the exploitation they say they suffer.
Mould, fires: Substandard housing threatens health of Europeans
Est. 5minA report published by the Fondation Abbé Pierre and the European federation working with the homeless highlights poor housing conditions in Europe and the threat they pose to the health and safety of those affected, including certain cancers.
Bulgaria looks toward quality jobs to combat poverty
Est. 6minBulgaria is the poorest country with the lowest wages in the EU, but surprisingly it turns out that the Bulgarian economy is doing better than more developed member states by managing to create quality jobs.
After pension reform battle, Macron weakened but unbowed
Est. 4minHours before France's Constitutional Council breathed new life on Friday (14 April) into his widely denounced plans to make people work longer for their state pensions, President Emmanuel Macron was his usual defiant self.
Macron holds crisis meeting as more protests loom
Est. 4minPresident Emmanuel Macron summoned government ministers for a crisis meeting on Monday (27 March, as tensions ran high a day before another major day of strikes and protests against his pension reforms.
France requisitions refinery workers as energy strikes continue
Est. 3minSeveral French refineries were still blocked from delivering products on Tuesday (21 March) after two weeks of strikes, disrupting production and power supply, while attempts to requisition workers at the Fos depot sparked scuffles with police.
Analysis: Macron wins Pyrrhic victory on pension bill, risks fuelling anger
Est. 5minMacron's move to shun the National Assembly and push through a pension system overhaul without a vote in the lower house may secure a reform he says is needed for France's finances. But it may end up a Pyrrhic victory.
French Senate votes for Macron’s pension plan, despite new protests
Est. 4minThe French Senate on Saturday night (11 March) adopted President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reform plan in the wake of a seventh day of demonstrations that were not as large as authorities had expected.
French MPs open up debate over platform workers’ status
Est. 5minA French parliamentary 'Uber Files' investigative committee aims to shine a light on Uber’s lobbying practices, and the reality of the economy’s ‘uberisation’, while workers’ representatives want to do away with self-employment and push for general reclassification.
EU Council reopens discussion on platform workers’ status
Est. 5minThe Swedish presidency of the EU Council of ministers is circling back to a fundamental aspect of the Platform Workers' Directive after the previous presidency fell short of securing a majority.
Raising retirement age means old-age poverty, Manon Aubry warns Macron
Est. 3minMEP Manon Aubry warned that raising the retirement age “systematically” led to a general fall in retirees’ standards of living, as Emmanuel Macron pushes through a much-criticised pensions reform in France.
EU Parliament adopts position on platform workers directive
Est. 5minAfter months of arduous negotiations, the much-debated and politically sensitive platform workers' file was finally approved in plenary on Thursday (2 February), with 376 in favour and 212 against.