At the beginning of 2022, hopes were high that the Covid-19 pandemic was on the ebb and that the European Union (EU) would be able to focus again on the main challenge of this century: how to proactively tackle the green and digital transition in a socially fair and inclusive way. But the Russian... Find out more

This report was commissioned by the Belgian Federal Ministry of the Economy (FPS Economy) from the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) in 2022, following a competitive tendering procedure. Its main purpose is to support the Belgian authorities in their preparations for the upcoming Belgian... Find out more

In recent years the world’s two largest inflation-targeting central banks – the US Federal Reserve (the Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB) – have revised their monetary policy frameworks in a more progressive direction. Whereas the Fed decided to abandon its strategy of pre-emptive tightening... Find out more

This paper’s analysis of working conditions in Europe compares several aspects of job quality and wages, rather than relying on earnings as a sole indicator of workers’ well-being. We use a micro-level database of workers from 22 European countries to assess how global value chains (GVCs) and... Find out more

This paper assesses how well national recovery and resilience plans (NRRPs) aim at jointly tackling the social and climate/environmental challenges of recovery from the crisis and the transition to a net zero carbon socioeconomic model. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks proposed by Mandelli... Find out more

Labour provisions in trade agreements have been criticised for minimal effectiveness in improving employment conditions. Five recent cases point to some benefits and to the lessons on when and how labour provisions can be effective. They make a difference in particular economic and political... Find out more

The European Commission published a consultation document with a view to take legislative action to establish fair minimum wages in Europe. In this policy brief, the researchers argue for a pragmatic approach of taking the ‘in-work-poverty-wage’ threshold of 60 per cent of the national full-time... Find out more

Policy recommendations Unpaid labour should be recognised as a systemic feature of platform work, inherent in its current model of work organisation. Its prevalence and magnitude render it a pressing regulatory issue. Introducing minimum standards regarding working time and wages is a key step... Find out more

This contribution focuses on the phrase ‘in a manner affecting trade’, that is often found within labour disciplines in trade agreements, expressly linking labour standards (or their violation) to trade. The meaning of this specific phrase has been the subject of much discussion recently... Find out more

This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between patterns of integration in global value chains (GVCs), the ‘quality’ of such integration in terms of technological capabilities and the structure of employment in European countries and sectors. We study employment shares in... Find out more