Following months of intensive negotiations on the Posting of Workers Directive, a large majority of MEPs were able to agree on a compromise to amend the Directive. With a clear majority of 32 to 8 votes, the MEPs of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) in the European Parliament adopted the report by Elisabeth Morin-Chartier (EPP) and Agnes Jongerius (S&D). This includes several positive points, which are designed to prevent wage and social dumping at the expense of posted employees.

“High employment rates and signs of improvement for the youth”, this is how the European Commission advertises the current Quarterly Report on Employment and Social Developments in the EU. The Commission far too often paints a too rosy picture of the economic and social development in Europe. However, from the AK’s point of view, additional efforts have to be made at European level to ensure that the increased growth and employment rates also improve people’s working and living conditions.

The 2008 financial and economic crisis has been the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression of the 1930s. However, there have been signs that the European economy is recovering at last. But which paths to follow to promote sustainable economic growth, which, at the end of the day, benefits all people of our society?

“Positive growth rates, falling unemployment figures and record employment”– currently, Brussels frequently talks of the EU’s alleged positive economic development. However, during the presentation of a comprehensive research project last week, the focus was once again on what has unfortunately increasingly been ignored: youth unemployment in Europe, which is still dramatically high.

The State of the Union Address by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker definitely indicated social initiatives. However, it remains to be seen whether these are sufficient to achieve the urgently needed social policy shift in the EU. At first glance, Juncker’s address hardly contained any new impulses for the European Pillar of Social Rights. However, greater efforts will be required to ensure that the proclamation of social rights will not be reduced to just lip service and that the justified expectations for social minimum standards in the EU will not be disappointed.

During the first week of September, a new Study was presented in Brussels, which sheds a light on the wide range of pension systems for workers in arduous or hazardous jobs in Europe. In particular, the fact that great efforts have been made over the past years to increase the retirement age, let particularly these workers face special problems.

In Brussels pensions remain a permanent topic of discussion. Now, the European Commission has presented the European pension – a personal European pension product, which, according to plans of the EU Commission, should close gaps in statutory pension systems. However, above all the proposal boosts to the financial industry, then able to offer new products.

The ‘Europe on the Move’ package includes a number of innovations, which are to contribute to a fair transport system on Europe’s roads. Does this instrument, however, really meet the requirements? This difficult question was debated during a panel discussion on July 3 in Brussels, in which the Austrian Transport Minister Jörg Leichtfried and the Swedish State Secretary Mattias Landgren took part and that was organised by AK EUROPA, ÖGB, DGB and the Swedish Trade Union Confederation.