Thomas Schnee
Correspondent in GermanyAs a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.
Expertise
As a correspondent in Berlin for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business world and labour market. My areas of interest include co-management, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.
Most read articles by Thomas Schnee
Germany: introduction of the concept of partial incapacity for work
The news. On 10 July, the German Parliament definitively adopted the “Act to Stabilise Contribution Rates in the Statutory Health Insurance System”...
27 August 2026
Germany: AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt raises concerns over labour supply and workplace cohesion
The rise of Germany’s far-right AfD, which could soon gain influence over migration policy in Saxony-Anhalt and, following elections on September 20, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well, is...
15 September 2026
Germany: a “simplification” proposal for the Corporate Governance Code
In early August, the Government Commission presented proposals to reform the Deutscher Corporate Governance Kodex (DCGK), Germany’s Corporate Governance Code. The proposals are primarily aimed at...
Germany: a high-tension start to the social and political year
The German government must finalize its major reforms (pension funding, corporate competitiveness, and labor law) while the chancellor’s popularity hits an all-time low and three regional...
26 August 2026
Latest articles by Thomas Schnee
Germany: Bayer details its ‘fundamental’ internal reorganisation programme
Bill Anderson, the new chief executive of German pharmaceutical and agrochemical conglomerate Bayer, has launched the Dynamic Shared Ownership programme in a bid to revitalise the company...
13 February 2024
Germany: record rise in new union memberships
Unions affiliated to the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) recorded a 37% increase in new memberships in 2023. This new impetus for the movement can be explained by the need for security in a...
12 February 2024
Germany: social partners take stand against the far right and in favour of immigration
Several employer and trade union organisations are mobilising against the rise of the far-right AfD party. The party plans to bring immigration to a halt if elected, at a time when the shortage of...
1 February 2024
Germany: SAP aims to revive employee appraisals with ‘Winning Culture’
The leadership of SAP, the German enterprise IT solutions producer, wants to restore its employees "taste for performance". To achieve this, it is negotiating the introduction of a "dynamic...
11 December 2023
Germany: IG Metall rejects company pensions without guaranteed returns
On 25 October, the delegates' assembly of the major German metalworkers' union IG Metall, which met in Frankfurt, decided to reject any future negotiations on company pensions without guaranteed...
27 October 2023
Germany: Lufthansa Technik (re)hires its experienced employees
The Senior Experts@LHT programme, launched in July 2023 by Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance subsidiary of the German airline group Lufthansa Group, seeks to prolong the working life of employees...
3 October 2023
Austria: the ‘Blocked’ progressive retirement model set to be abolished by 2029
On 13 September 2023, Austria’s ruling coalition (conservative ÖVP and Ecologist parties) voted on September abolish the ‘blocked progressive retirement’ model by 2029. Opponents, notably the...
Germany: Bosch launches the ‘My Bosch App’ to better include and involve production employees
The German multinational engineering and technology company has launched an in-house mobile app that can be downloaded onto employees’ personal smartphones. The aim is to include and involve the...
- HR
- News
7 September 2023
Germany: cabinet adopts bill aiming to integrate skilled foreign workers more quickly
On Wednesday 23 August, German cabinet adopted a bill to modernise and speed up the process for acquiring German nationality. The bill, which will now be examined by the Bundestag, follows on from...
28 August 2023
Germany: law passed to create ‘apprenticeship guarantee’ and ‘qualification allowance’
As part of its national strategy to attract and train a larger skilled workforce, and following the passing on Friday 23 June of its new law on economic immigration, the Bundestag also passed a...
26 June 2023
Germany: Bundestag passes law on immigration for skilled workers
On Friday 23 June, the Bundestag passed its much-awaited Immigration Act for Skilled Workers (Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz). The new legislation takes inspiration from the Canadian points-based...
23 June 2023
Germany: complaint filed against VW, BMW, & Mercedes Benz for breaching human rights due diligence obligations in Xinjiang
On 21 June the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) confirmed that it had filed a complaint against Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes Benz, accusing them of failing to exercise...
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
EU: insurance sector social partners commit to addressing violence and harassment at work
The news. The trade union UNI Europa Finance and the employers’ federations Insurance Europe, Amice and Bipar signed an addendum to their 2022 joint declaration on diversity and inclusion on...
18 September 2026
Juliette Baudry (Boiron): “An intergenerational mechanism to better accommodate different life stages”
Since 1 September 2026, employees of the pharmaceutical group Boiron (1,700 employees in France) have benefited from a “key life moments account”. Resulting from an agreement signed last February...
18 September 2026
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
EU: Commission proposes a list of worker-related criteria for public procurement
The news. On 9 September, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation aimed at unifying European public procurement law, which accounts for 15% of European GDP. It is notably set...
17 September 2026
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
United Kingdom: government launches consultation on AI and data protection rules
L’info. Le gouvernement britannique a lancé, du 15 juillet au 9 septembre 2026, une consultation afin d’identifier les dispositifs juridiques, techniques et de gouvernance...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
28 August 2026
2
EU: social partners set out position on guidelines for the sustainability due diligence directive
The news. Following the final adoption of the omnibus directive in February, the European Commission launched a consultation in June aimed at guiding it in drafting guidelines on the application...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
28 August 2026
3
Import bans on forced labor products are multiplying
Under pressure from new US tariffs, many countries have presented texts in recent weeks to ban the import of products made with forced labor. A real breakthrough for workers' rights or a mere...
4
Canada: a sustainability due diligence proposal on forced labour submitted for consultation
The facts. On July 27, the Canadian government launched a consultation to introduce mandatory corporate due diligence measures regarding forced labor. It plans to require risk identification, the...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
25 August 2026
5
Germany: a “simplification” proposal for the Corporate Governance Code
In early August, the Government Commission presented proposals to reform the Deutscher Corporate Governance Kodex (DCGK), Germany’s Corporate Governance Code. The proposals are primarily aimed at...
6
Slovakia: a bill to “clarify” personal data protection measures
The news. The Slovak government approved a bill on personal data protection on August 26, 2026. This text aims to clarify existing regulations regarding employees’ rights and...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
7 September 2026