By focusing on its strengths, the EU can help realise an economically competitive Europe which, in turn, can support and sustain a social Europe.
While headline attention has focused on the EU’s policies addressing the green and digital transitions from 2019-2024, those on social policy and the labour market have been equally as significant for employers. Impactful new policies have been introduced in a broad range of areas such as pay transparency, platform workers, whistleblowing and minimum wages, including setting requirements for the promotion of collective bargaining at a national level, as the EU continues to seek to develop an increasing role in social policy.
This legislation comes on top of the range of new social policies at national level, which is adding to the timing and cumulative scale pressure for business. Importantly, these major changes in the labour market are not well coordinated between the EU and national level, leading to overlapping and, at times, inconsistent requirements. For example, the EU Pay Transparency Directive introduces requirements covered by the pre existing national Gender Pay Gap Information Act similar to the Commission proposal on Telework and the Right to Disconnect as compared to the existing Code of Practice in Ireland. This disconnect risks adding to administrative requirements for business without supporting objectives. It also risks increasing the cost of doing business, which is the most significant challenge for Irish business leaders as we head into the next mandate of the EU institutions.
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