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 provides an analysis of the 2022 Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) made by the Council, on a proposal by the Commission, concerning social and labour policies. Account is taken of the main new features of this Semester cycle, notably the integration of the European Semester in the... Find out more

This paper explores the EU recovery strategy with a specific focus on its potentially transformative aspects vis-à-vis European integration and on its implications for the social dimension of the EU’s socio-economic governance. It aims, in particular, to provide a reflection on whether the... Find out more

This working paper provides forecasts of changes in employment levels, in total, by sector and by different labour force groups in Europe, from 2022 to 2027. These forecasts of employment levels, both in terms of persons employed and in terms of hours worked, have been produced under three different... Find out more

The risk of poverty is a key issue for European countries. Irrespective of the uneven evolution of that risk – a sharp increase in the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2008 followed by an overall decrease in the past few years – people at risk of poverty represent a key target of social... Find out more

This study examines the development and implementation of judicial strategies by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) over the last fifteen years. Firstly, the author shows that this strategy was born in the wake of the Viking and Laval cases, with the aim of using the standards and... Find out more

The spread of Covid-19 and the ensuing adoption of lockdown measures have had severe consequences for European labour markets. All EU governments quickly made unprecedented economic and social support available to tackle the consequences of the pandemic. However, these measures – introduced by EU... Find out more

In view of the formidable challenges ahead related to recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and to the green and digital transitions, the EU social governance toolbox should urgently be strengthened. This paper discusses the conditions for and added value of setting up an EU Social Imbalances Procedure... Find out more

This paper describes the evolution of collective bargaining coverage in European countries during 2002-2018 and links it to changes in the evolution of the pay premia received by workers covered by collective bargaining. It uses evidence from the European Structure of Earnings Survey (ESES) to map... Find out more

Pension policy has gone through an intense period of reform over the past few decades. However, further changes are likely to take place in the near future. Major global trends, not only population ageing but also globalisation, technological innovation and climate change, are going to shape socio... Find out more