Based on a comparative survey of members of fourteen European trade unions in twelve countries, this working paper tries to answer the questions why people retain their trade union membership in times of declining unionisation. The paper shows that the presence and performance of workplace... Find out more

This Working Paper provides a qualitative assessment of one of Europe 2020's flagship initiatives: the 'European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion' (EPAP).The paper argues that a transformed EPAP has the potential to provide strong added value for the EU's toolbox in the fight against... Find out more

This working paper provides a legal analysis of the inclusion of social and environmental clauses in the modernisation of the EU's public procurement directives. It focuses in particular on Directive 2014/24/EU and evaluates the measures and provisions dealing with the obligation to comply with... Find out more

This working paper aims to give a structured gender analysis of the working and employment conditions of older workers (aged 50 and over). While working and employment conditions are increasingly recognised as key issues in ageing at work, gender disparities do still not get enough attention. Find out more

As part of the European Semester, the main pillar of Europe's new economic governance, the Commission puts forward every year the 'country-specific recommendations' (CSRs). This background analysis provides an overview of specific recommendations to the EU Member States in the field of employment... Find out more

This report reviews the main common traits and variations of the Nordic models of labour market regulation, how they were adjusted after the crises in the 1980-90s, and how recent labour market developments have faced the actors with new challenges.The report focuses in particular on the Nordic... Find out more

This Working Paper investigates links between employment changes and both sectoral developments and changes in earnings levels in six EU member states. The paper challenges the view that a remedy focusing on reducing employment protection and pay levels leads to higher levels of employment. It... Find out more

This Working Paper provides a clear but critical assessment of the EU’s process of simplification and qualitative improvement of the ‘acquis’, a process originally known as ‘Better Law-making’, subsequently as ‘Smart regulation’ and, in its latest incarnation, as ‘Regulatory Fitness and Performance... Find out more

This paper provides a comparative analysis of the Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in Greece and Portugal in the areas of old-age pensions and labour market policies and shows that, compared to earlier economic governance instruments, the MoUs have entailed much greater interference in setting... Find out more

This report by ETUI researcher Magda Bernaciak, Rebecca Gumbrell-McCormick (University of London) and Richard Hyman (London School of Economics) looks at how the diversity of European ‘trade unionisms’ leads to a diversity of challenges. It outlines several imaginative initiatives and innovations... Find out more