Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools
Sections
You are here: Home topics Living & Working Living & Working Guides
Document Actions

Living & Working Guides

Up one level
Guides on the EU policy on living and working in the EU.
EC outlines plan to improve mobility within the EU by Ina Dimireva — last modified 22 April 2010, 23:38 CET
European leaders endorsed 170 initiatives last December known as the Stockholm Programme. The measures are aimed at creating a genuine European area of freedom, security and justice in the next five years. The Commission has now turned these political objectives into an action plan for 2010-2014.
Commission initiatives to bring more security to Europeans by Ina Dimireva — last modified 22 April 2010, 23:39 CET
European leaders endorsed 170 initiatives last December known as the Stockholm Programme, aimed at creating a genuine European area of freedom, security and justice. The Commission has now turned these political objectives into an action plan for 2010-2014.
Communication on Roma in Europe and Progress Report on Roma inclusion 2008-2010 by EUbusiness — last modified 09 April 2010, 00:45 CET
Roma communities, the European Union’s largest ethnic minority, continue to face persistent discrimination and segregation. The European Commission urged EU Member States in a report today to use EU funds for the social and economic integration of Roma. Ensuring these communities’ access to jobs and non-segregated education, housing and health services is vital to their social inclusion, the report said. The integration of the estimated 10 to 12 million Roma – a population as large as Belgium’s or Greece’s – is a joint responsibility of Member States and EU institutions. A separate report evaluated the progress achieved in integration over the past two years.
The European Citizens' Initiative - Briefing by Ina Dimireva — last modified 31 March 2010, 19:01 CET
The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) will allow European citizens for the first time to directly suggest new legislation. An innovation contained in the Lisbon Treaty, the ECI will allow at least one million citizens from at least one third of EU Member States to invite the European Commission to bring forward legislative proposals in areas where the Commission has the power to do so.
Clearer EU rules for international couples - briefing by EUbusiness — last modified 24 March 2010, 13:44 CET
An Austrian woman marries a British man in the UK. The couple lives for two years in Austria with their son. The husband then leaves and the wife wants a divorce. However, she doesn't know which law will apply to her divorce. Can she get a divorce under Austrian law or does UK law apply? Thousands of Europeans find themselves in such difficult situations each year because each EU country has its own system for deciding which country’s law applies to divorces. The European Commission has proposed a concrete solution: a law that will allow couples to choose which country's laws apply to their divorce. The proposed EU Regulation will help couples of different nationalities, couples living apart in different countries or living together in a country other than their home country. The aim is to lessen the burden on children and to protect weaker partners during divorce disputes. There are around 300,000 international marriages per year in the EU. Today's proposal follows a request from 10 Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) and would be the first time the "enhanced cooperation" mechanism would be used in EU history.
Tackling the gender pay gap - briefing by EUbusiness — last modified 05 March 2010, 17:11 CET
The European Commission plans to use a series of measures aimed at significantly reducing the pay gap between men and women over the next five years. The average gender pay gap in the EU currently stands at 18%. To lower this rate, the Commission plans to raise awareness among employers, encourage initiatives to promote gender equality and support the development of tools to measure the gender pay gap. On the other hand, new legal measures are not excluded. The Commission intends to consult the European social partners and analyse the impact of a number of options: strengthening sanctions, providing pay transparency and regular reporting on the pay gap. A Eurobarometer survey released today shows that more than 80% of Europeans support urgent action to address the gap.
Frontex and managing the EU's borders - briefing by EUbusiness — last modified 24 February 2010, 15:11 CET
The Commission has made proposals to strengthen the European Union's border management agency, Frontex. The proposals include reinforcing the legal framework to ensure full respect of fundamental rights during Frontex activities and enhancing the operational capacity of Frontex to support Member States. With the new proposal Member States would put more equipment and more personnel at the Agency's disposal. Frontex would be able to co-lead border patrols operations with EU Member States. It would also be allowed to provide technical assistance to third countries and deploy liaison officers in third countries.
Telecoms: 112 - Europe's single emergency number - briefing by EUbusiness — last modified 11 February 2010, 13:19 CET
To mark European 112 Day on February 11, the European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes has written to EU Member States calling on them to intensify their efforts to raise awareness of Europe's single emergency number 112. While awareness has increased slightly, three out of four EU citizens still do not know they can call 112 in an emergency to contact the police, fire brigade or medical services, either from home or when travelling in the EU. Having the reflex to dial this 112 lifeline, which now works in all EU countries, could save lives and reduce injuries.
Sanctions against the employment of illegally staying non-EU nationals by Ina Dimireva — last modified 05 February 2010, 00:45 CET
Directive 2009/52/EC targets the employment of non-EU nationals who are illegally staying in the European Union (EU), in order to counteract illegal immigration. It provides for minimum common standards on sanctions and other measures (disqualification from public benefits, etc.) and, in serious cases, criminal penalties against employers of said nationals.
Compensation to crime victims by Ina Dimireva — last modified 03 February 2010, 19:10 CET
The aim of Council Directive 2004/80/EC is to set up a system of cooperation to facilitate access to compensation for victims of crimes in cross-border situations. This system operates on the basis of Member States' compensation schemes for victims of violent intentional crime committed in their respective territories.
Social Security Rights by Ina Dimireva — last modified 21 January 2010, 16:16 CET
EU rules introduced in 1971 coordinate European countries’ social security schemes, offering solutions to most cross-border problems that may arise. These rules were updated and a new, improved coordination system will enter into force in May 2010.
Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs by Ina Dimireva — last modified 21 January 2010, 12:44 CET
Before the financial and economic crisis hit the EU, the Lisbon strategy had helped create more than 18m new jobs. When the economy slumped, the EU acted to stabilise the financial system and adopted a recovery plan to boost demand and restore confidence. The plan is delivering a major fiscal stimulus, with measures to keep people in work and public investment in infrastructure, innovation, new skills for the workforce, energy efficiency and clean technologies to meet the goals of the Lisbon strategy.
Free movement of people within the EU by Ina Dimireva — last modified 21 January 2010, 13:45 CET
Free movement of people is a basic component of the single area which the EU has been building since its inception. It is acknowledged as a fundamental right for EU citizens. Although the principle of free movement was enshrined in the founding treaties, in the first place it did not extend to lifting physical borders but was mainly targeted at the working population until the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999, when the Schengen Convention of 1990 was integrated into the EU legal and institutional framework.
Entry and residence of highly qualified workers (EU Blue Card) by Ina Dimireva — last modified 06 January 2010, 01:34 CET
This directive concerns conditions of entry for highly qualified non-EU nationals. It creates a “European Blue Card” and sets out the conditions and rights of residence in the issuing as well as in other Member States.
Second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) - 1st pillar regulation by Ina Dimireva — last modified 21 December 2009, 20:17 CET
The SIS II Regulation lays down the technical aspects and the operation of the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II), the conditions for issuing alerts on refusal of entry or stay for non-EU nationals, the processing of data relating to the alerts, and conditions of data access and protection. It constitutes the legislative basis for governing SIS II with respect to matters falling under Title IV of the EC Treaty (first pillar).
Schengen: legal instruments governing migration from SIS1+ to SIS II by Ina Dimireva — last modified 21 December 2009, 20:17 CET
The legal instruments governing migration from SIS 1+ to SIS II lay down the tasks and responsibilities of the European Commission and the Member States for preparing this migration, including further development and testing of SIS II.
Access of vehicle registration services to SIS II by Ina Dimireva — last modified 21 December 2009, 20:15 CET
The second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) will be a large-scale information system containing alerts on persons and objects in the EU.
System for the recognition of professional qualifications by Ina Dimireva — last modified 08 March 2016, 15:05 CET
This EU Directive establishes a system for the recognition of professional qualifications, in order to help make labour markets more flexible, further liberalise the provision of services, encourage more automatic recognition of qualifications, and simplify administrative procedures in the Union.
The Bologna process: making higher education systems in Europe converge by Ina Dimireva — last modified 10 December 2009, 15:45 CET
The Bologna process aims inter alia to make divergent higher education systems across the European Union converge towards a more transparent system by 2010, based on three cycles: Degree/Bachelor - Master - Doctorate.
Right of EU citizens and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States by Ina Dimireva — last modified 10 December 2009, 15:38 CET
The European Union has adopted a Directive on the right of citizens of the Union to move and reside freely within the Member States, which brings together the piecemeal measures found in the complex body of legislation that has governed this matter to date.