Agriculture, which met today, April 23rd, adopted the draft revision of the EWC directive. The UK abstained. The directive will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The will start the countdown for Member States which have to implement the new provisions introduced, and for businesses deciding to anticipate change. For this occasion, we are re-publishing the commentary we already published (see our dispatch N°090394). (Ref. 090447)
Since this note is very long, a more readable word version is attached.
Proposed by the European Commission in July 2008 (see our dispatch No. 080553), the draft revision of the EWC directive reached a final compromise in December 2008, thanks to the ever-so useful helping hand of the social partners (see our dispatch No. 080643).
Better information and consultation. The new directive introduces the definition of information and expanded the definition of consultation to ensure their “effectiveness.” To that end, it determines criteria of appropriate time, content and fashion.
- Information is “transmission of data by the employer to the employees’ representatives in order to enable them to acquaint themselves with the subject matter and to examine it.” It shall be “given at such time, in such fashion and with such content as are appropriate to enable employees’ representatives to undertake an in-depth assessment of the possible impact and, where appropriate, prepare for consultations with the competent organ of the Community-scale undertaking or Community-scale group of undertakings.”