With the presentation of the Autumn Package on 24 November 2021, the Commission has launched the cycle of the European Semester for 2022. It was announced that the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) will be integrated into the European Semester. Apart from that, more focus shall be placed on social and environmental aspects. Nevertheless, there is a basic need to reform the European Semester in order to put well-being oriented policies at the centre of the European Union.

On 23 November 2021, the EU Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection voted on the proposal on the Digital Markets Act.

Together with the Autrian Social Responsibility Network (Nesove), the Austrian trade union Federation ÖGB and numerous NGOs, Chamber of Labour has sent an open letter to Austrian Commissioner Hahn on the long-awaited Commission proposal for a Directive on Corporate Due Diligence.

The case law of the European Court of Justice has changed market freedoms into companies’ deregulation levers, which led to increased pressure on public services, social rights and wages. At a webinar organised by AK EUROPA and trade union confederations from Austria, Germany and Sweden as well as the European Trade Union Confederation, alternatives to the neoliberal model of the single market were discussed.

On 11 November 2021,  the Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, presented the Autumn 2021 Economic Forecast. Following the Covid-19 induced recession, the European economies are currently on a path towards economic recovery. Despite the projections being positive, the EU’s economic development is standing on shaky ground due to the uncertain development of the Coronavirus pandemic, global supply shortages and rising energy prices.

Strengthening the social pillar of the European Union must not remain a pipe dream for very much longer. It is necessary to implement more social rights and EU regulations and to understand that social policy encompasses all political sectors.

The Commission’s “Fit for 55” Package proposes concrete measures by which EU greenhouse gas emissions shall be reduced by 55 % by 2030 compared to 1990 and by which subsequently the EU becomes climate neutral by 2050. AK has scrutinised the Package and compiled four Position Papers. AK generally supports the ambitious European climate policy, however, it clearly opposes the introduction of trading CO2 emissions in respect of space heating.

The Brussels Office of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (AK EUROPA), the Brussels Office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB Europabüro), the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB - Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund), the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) would like to cordially invite you to our joint webinar “European Social Progress Pact: Alternative to the liberalist constitution of the EU internal market".

AK supports the new, ambitious targets for the expansion of renewable energy sources by 2030. These targets should also be binding at Member State level since the necessary expansion of renewable energy sources by 2030 will be difficult to achieve without binding targets at all levels.
 

AK supports the new ambitious energy efficiency targets to be met by 2030 but calls for them to be binding at Member States level as well. With the proposed inclusion of the “energy efficiency first” principle in the legislation, energy efficiency could finally achieve a breakthrough. However, AK strongly opposes the proposed possibility for Member States to continue to exclude the sales of energy used in the transport sector from the final energy consumption calculation.