EU: Expert Group on European Works Councils put on hold until further notice

An Expert Group on European Works Councils had been the European Commissions’ compromise response to its assessment of the EWC Recast Directive (2009/38/EC); i.e. no new revisions to the text, but instead the establishment of a joint group of experts that would collaborate on preparing a practical handbook with relevant best practices. The first meeting of the group of experts from both employers and trade union bodies was held on 01 April 2019. The meeting adjourned however with no agreement possible and as a result the European Commission announced in a letter dated 02 July 2019 that the group’s work was being suspended.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

In a letter to European employers and trade union bodies, the European Commission recalled that this Expert Group had been set up to advise and assist in the preparation of a guide for EWC practitioners and was meant to address the lacunae that had been identified during the Commission’s assessment of the recast Directive on EWCs (2009/38/EC) (c.f. article No. 10676)

While the employers’ representatives had been supportive of the guide, the trade union delegations were more reticent as to the ef

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Seven major companies offer training to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence
L’Oréal, Engie, LVMH, Publicis, Accor and Orange are encouraging their staff to take part in the Safe Spaces training programme on domestic and sexual violence, developed by insurance...
10 November 2025
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
Pay transparency a few months ahead of the EU directive
With the EU Pay Transparency Directive due to take effect by 7 June 2026, mind RH looks at how member states are transposing the rules and what they could mean for businesses and collective...
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: austerity measures proposed in social security financing bill for 2026
Limits on sick leave, the end of social security exemptions for apprentices, and the introduction of additional birth leave: the 2026 social security financing bill, presented to parliament on 14...
16 October 2025
2
Netherlands: ING cites AI as it plans to cut around 950 jobs
Dutch bank ING has informed the employment agency UWV that it may cut around 950 jobs by 31 December 2026. In its notification on 20 October, the lender said the planned reductions stem partly...
30 October 2025
3
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
4
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
5
Germany: legal battle at Tesla ahead of works council election
The Frankfurt/Oder labour court has postponed a mid-November hearing in the case between the IG Metall union and Michaela Schmitz, employee representative and head of the works council at the...
6
France: generative AI and older workers central to BPCE’s skills management strategy
On 17 July 2025, BPCE and its trade unions signed a second agreement on jobs and career management within the banking group. The text places generative artificial intelligence at the core of its...