Living and Working in the EU

Living and working in the European Union.

Public websites to be accessible to all — 27 October 2016, 12:25 CET

The websites of hospitals, courts and other public sector bodies will have to be made accessible to disabled and elderly people, under new EU-wide rules approved by the European Parliament on Wednesday.

Gender employment gap costs Europe EUR 370 bn per year — 13 October 2016, 22:36 CET

The total cost of a lower female employment rate in the European Union - more than 10 per cent lower than the male equivalent - is EUR 370 billion, according to a report from Eurofound.

Cross-border family disputes: new proposals to protect children — 01 July 2016, 00:59 CET

New proposals covering cross-border parental responsibility disputes were set out by the European Commission Thursday, relating to custody, access rights and child abduction.

MEPs vote in new rules on property settlement in divorces — 23 June 2016, 22:36 CET

MEPs approved Thursday new rules for deciding which country’s courts should settle property disputes in divorce or death cases involving international couples or registered partnerships.

EU Court backs UK limits on child benefits — 15 June 2016, 16:20 CET

The UK can require recipients of child benefit and child tax credit to have a right of residence in Britain, the European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday.

Red tape cut if you move to another EU country — 10 June 2016, 17:18 CET

Bureaucratic procedures for Europeans moving to another EU country for study or work are being cut, following a vote by Euro-MPs Thursday endorsing a deal previously struck by Parliament and Council.

Nearly 16,000 victims of trafficking in the EU — 19 May 2016, 17:14 CET

15,846 women, men, girls and boys were registered as victims of trafficking in the EU, according to a report presented Thursday by the European Commission on progress in the fight against trafficking in human beings.

Sustainable work and healthy ageing for all: EU launches major campaign — 17 April 2016, 23:36 CET

A new EU campaign focuses on Europe’s enterprises and the need to promote sustainable work and healthy ageing from the beginning of working life.

Gender equality — 08 March 2022, 22:24 CET

Although inequalities still exist, the EU has made significant progress in gender equality over the last decades. This is the result of equal treatment legislation; gender mainstreaming, integration of the gender perspective into all other policies; specific measures for the advancement of women. Encouraging trends are the higher number of women in the labour market and their progress in securing better education and training. However, gender gaps remain and in the labour market women are still over-represented in lower paid sectors and under-represented in decision-making positions.

EU gender equality intiatives — 08 March 2016, 15:02 CET

On International Women's Day 2016, here are the priorities of the European Commission in terms of gender equality.

The rise of temporary contracts in Europe - Eurofound report — 25 February 2016, 00:58 CET

More than 1 in 10 employees in the EU are employed on temporary contracts, but a majority of them would prefer a permanent contract. Temporary contracts help employers to manage their labour demand, but there are downsides for employees, such as job insecurity and lower pay.

EU action to combat terrorism and illegal trafficking of firearms and explosives — 02 December 2015, 23:18 CET

The European Commission adopted on 2 December a package of measures to step up the fight against terrorism and the illegal trafficking of firearms and explosives.

International Day for the elimination of Violence against women — 25 November 2015, 00:04 CET

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134). The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden.

Proposals to strengthen control of firearms across the EU — 19 November 2015, 00:06 CET

The European Commission adopted on 18 November a package of measures to make it more difficult to acquire firearms in the European Union, track legally held firearms, strengthen cooperation between Member States, and ensure that deactivated firearms are rendered inoperable.

Gender equality: challenges for the EU — 05 March 2015, 15:40 CET

Ahead of International Women's Day (8 March), the European Commission is reaffirming its commitment to tackle gender inequalities across the EU.

Statutory minimum wage levels in Europe in 2015 - Eurofound — 04 February 2015, 00:50 CET

Most EU Member States have a statutory minimum wage, which sets the lowest legal amount of pay for all employees. Some Member States also have specific lower minimum levels for certain groups of workers, mainly younger ones. During the economic crisis, minimum wage levels have been mainly frozen, with only moderate increases in some countries. However, over the past two years, the minimum wage levels have begun to increase, and this first EU wide compilation of minimum wage levels in Europe in 2015 shows a marked change in trends. This article presents the most recent data on statutory minimum wages, applicable on 1 January 2015, and an overview of the discussions leading to the final settlements made in 2014.

Access City Award 2015 for disabled-friendly cities — 04 December 2014, 11:04 CET

The 2015 Access City Award has been won by the Swedish city of Borås, the European Commission announced on 3 December. The Award recognises Borås's comprehensive and strategic approach to creating an accessible city for all; a good example of local action to help removing the many barriers that people with disabilities still face in their daily life.

Frontex Operation Triton — 31 October 2014, 18:51 CET

Frontex has finalised all preparations for the launch of Joint Operation Triton on November 1st 2014. With a monthly budget of EUR 2,9 million the agency will coordinate the deployment of three open sea patrol vessels, two coastal patrol vessels, two coastal patrol boats, two aircraft, and one helicopter in the Central Mediterranean. The operational area of Triton will cover the territorial waters of Italy as well as parts of the search and rescue (SAR) zones of the both countries. Frontex will operate under the command of the Italian Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with Guardia di Finanza, as well as the Italian Coast Guard.

"Going Abroad" app — 26 June 2014, 21:58 CET

What is the speed limit on Spanish motorways? Do I need to wear a helmet when I cycle in Sweden? What safety equipment must I always have in the car when driving in Slovakia? From now on, holiday makers do not need to spend a lot of time searching for this information. They can have it at hand wherever they are with the European Commission's new smartphone app "Going Abroad".

Developments in collectively agreed pay 2013 - Eurofound — 12 June 2014, 23:04 CET

The available national data reveal that average nominal collectively agreed pay increases in 2013 were roughly the same as or lower than those in 2012 in all the countries examined. However, because of lower inflation rates, employees in a number of countries saw the purchasing power of their wages increase again. This is a change from the post-crisis trend that had been observed since 2011 in many EU Member States. The increases in collectively agreed nominal wages for the chemical sector were lower in 2013 than in 2012. The development in the retail sector was less straightforward, with 10 countries reporting a lower wage increase in 2013 than in 2012 and another 10 countries reporting a higher or equal wage increase. From the sectors examined (civil service, retail and chemical sectors), civil service pay trends were the most negative, with the majority of countries surveyed reporting pay freezes or pay cuts in the sector. The study was compiled on the basis of individual national reports submitted by the EIRO correspondents. The text of each of these national reports is available below. The reports have not been edited or approved by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. The national reports were drawn up in response to a questionnaire and should be read in conjunction with it.

Report on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and Progress Report on Gender Equality — 14 April 2014, 17:53 CET

The 4th annual report published today by the European Commission on the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, shows that the importance and prominence of the EU Charter continues to rise: the Court of Justice of the EU increasingly applies the Charter in its decisions while national judges are more and more aware of the Charter's impact and seek guidance from the European Court of Justice. The European Commission has also progressively sought to bring the Charter to life by taking action to promote and defend the rights of EU citizens laid down in the Charter. Since 2010, the European Commission has put in place a 'fundamental rights checklist' and as a result screens every legislative proposal to ensure it is "fundamental-rights proof". The annual report on the application of the Charter tracks the progress made and identifies challenges and concerns. It shows: the European Commission places fundamental rights at the heart of all EU policies.

Cross border taxation of citizens — 10 April 2014, 22:18 CET

The European Commission is launching two public consultations and creating an expert group to gather ideas on how to tackle any tax obstacles that hinder the cross-border activity of individuals in the Single Market. At the same time, the Commission has launched new web pages aimed at providing useful tax information to individuals who are active across borders.

Simpler, more flexible visa rules — 02 April 2014, 22:37 CET

Many non-EU nationals wishing to travel to the EU are often faced with cumbersome, lengthy and costly visa procedures. The proposals presented today will seriously shorten and simplify the procedures for those wanting to come to the EU for short stays, and induce more cost savings and less bureaucracy, whilst maintaining the level of security. Making the access to the Schengen area easier for legitimate travellers will facilitate visiting friends and relatives and doing business. It will boost economic activity and job creation in, for instance, the tourism sector as well as in related activities such as restaurant and transport industries. A recent study shows that in 2012 a total number of 6.6 million potential travellers from six of the countries with the most travellers were 'lost' due to cumbersome visa procedures. It also showed that more flexible and accessible visa rules could lead to an increase in trips to the Schengen area of between 30% and up to 60%, only from these six countries. This could mean as much as EUR 130 billion in total direct spending over five years (in accommodation, food and drink, transports, entertainment, shopping, etc.), and could translate into some 1.3 million jobs in tourism and related sectors.

Gender Pay Gap stagnates at 16.4% across Europe — 28 February 2014, 18:38 CET

Women in Europe still work 59 days ‘for free’ – this is what the latest figures released today by the European Commission show. The gender pay gap – the average difference between women and men’s hourly earnings across the entire economy – has barely moved in recent years and still stands at around 16% (it stands at 16.4% as the year before). The latest figures mean European Equal Pay Day is marked on 28 February, for the second year in a row. The EU-wide event marks the date in the new calendar year from which women really begin to be paid for their work as compared to men. In effect it means that today women work 59 days "for free" until they match the amount earned by men. This is the fourth time the Equal Pay Day takes place at European level.

Gender pay gap statistics — 28 February 2014, 18:29 CET

This article shows how gender inequalities in terms of pay vary widely among Member States of the European Union (EU) and among groups of employees. The unadjusted gender pay pap (GPG) is an important indicator used within the European employment strategy (EES) to monitor imbalances in wages between men and women. It is defined as the relative difference (in percentage) between the average gross hourly earnings of women and men.