The European Central Bank (ECB) is a special, even unique central bank. It is a central bank without a treasury by its side or a state behind it, just as the euro, Europe’s common currency that the ECB is tasked with guarding, is a ‘denationalised’ currency. The euro area is a rare exception to the... Find out more

This document describes in detail the ETUI's main research and training priorities and projects for the working year 2020-2021. The following five new priorities will guide all ETUI activities in 2020–2021: The social-ecological transition and the digital revolution, identified as the two key... Find out more

Starting from the view that the crises in the euro zone were basically triggered by financial markets and reinforced by a lack of instruments for effective economic policy at the EMU level (Economic and Monetary Union), this working paper contributes to the ongoing debate on how to reform the... Find out more

This working paper presents the results of the ETUI Internet and Platform Work Survey conducted in Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia in 2018-2019. The objective is to map the extent of digital labour in central and eastern Europe (CEE) based on the analysis of two types of online... Find out more

This is the ninth cycle under the European Semester system since its launch in 2011, but it is also the second set of CSRs launched since the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) in November 2017. This year, a total of 96 of what could be called ‘package’ recommendations (as... Find out more

This Working Paper analyses the development of the interpretation that the European Commission has given to the TFEU provision concerning mechanisms for extensions of collective agreements. The paper examines how the Commission has reinterpreted these provision and the challenges this poses for the... Find out more

This working paper provides data confirming that workers in lower-skilled health and social care assistant positions earn considerably less than the national average wage in their country. The publication argues that the wage penalty for working in female-dominated sectors and occupations such as... Find out more

This Working Paper brings together two parallel but complementary approaches to the impact of the platform economy on working conditions and social law. The first part of the study shows that the business models of some platforms is a combination of technological disruption and social evasion. The... Find out more

This Working Paper surveys the extent to which Member States comply with CSRs relating to social policy. This provides a yardstick by which to measure their compliance with both the European semester and adherence to the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Looking more closely at the... Find out more

This report critically examines progress on the European Union’s ‘Better Regulation Agenda’. Although originally intended to simplify the EU’s legislation and improve its quality, there are suspicions that the Agenda has been hijacked to be used as a tool to make companies more competitive. The... Find out more