Updating travel legislation has been an issue in Brussels for years. The Commission finally presented its proposals in November 2023, also prompted by the experience of the COVID-19 crisis. One aim is to strengthen passengers' rights. In AK’s view, the Commission's proposals are a step in the right direction in some areas, but overall they fall short of what is needed.

The EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has been under negotiation for more than a quarter of a century. Only last month, the EU Commission reached a political agreement on it with the Mercosur countries and is now pushing for its ratification by 2025. Despite the promise of economic and geopolitical benefits, concerns remain about its environmental impact, labour standards, and political transparency.

An update of travel law has been a topic in Brussels for years. The aim is to strengthen the rights of passengers, air travellers and package holidaymakers. The EU Commission finally presented its proposals in November 2023, also prompted by the crises of recent years. Adoption in the last legislative period was therefore no longer possible. The new EU Parliament is now starting its work and discussions are already underway in the Council. But how well will Europe's travellers be protected in the future?

How can investments (co-)funded by the EU be linked to social criteria? What implications do political measures have on income distribution? How can these be measured? These were some of the questions discussed at an event organised by the Belgian Council Presidency. During three sessions, interesting approaches such as the Do No Significant Harm principle were presented.

Since 2018, AK has contributed to the analysis of prosperity and well-being in Austria with its AK Well-being Report (AK-Wohlstandsbericht). Austria's social and economic progress is analysed on the basis of the modified "magic polygon" of a well-being oriented economic policy from the perspective of an institution representing the interests of employees. There are five overarching goals and six sub-goals for each of them. The five goals are: Fairly distributed material prosperity, Full employment and decent work, Quality of life, Intact environment, Economic stability.

A well-functioning European railway system is crucial for the mobility shift and a just green transition. After two decades, the liberalisation of rail transport is revealing consequences that must be discussed in the interests of workers, passengers and the necessary fight against the climate crisis. To this end, AK EUROPA, together with the Austrian trade union vida and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), organised the event “Railway liberalisation. Lessons Learned” in Brussels in April 2024.

The Energy Charter Treaty protects investments in fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. The agreement is no longer fit for purpose and is not compatible with the EU's climate protection targets. The EU Commission therefore proposed the withdrawal of the EU in July 2023. This requires a decision by the EU member states and the approval of the EU Parliament. On 9 April 2024, the relevant committees of the EU Parliament gave the green light.

The Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK EUROPA), the Austrian trade union vida and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) jointly organised the event "Railway liberalisation. Lessons learned".

The end of the legislative period was characterised by the European Green Deal. One of the numerous proposals to promote the circular economy, which is still being discussed, is a regulation on requirements for the circular design of vehicles and the disposal of end-of-life vehicles. The aim of this regulation is to reduce the environmental impact of the automotive sector and thus contribute to environmental and climate targets. Among other, this is to be achieved through regulations on reuse, recycling and design.

The EU-Commission has proposed measures to improve the circularity of the automotive sector, covering the design, production and end-of-life management of vehicles. The aim is not only to improve access to resources and support environmental and climate goals, but also to promote value creation and employment. AK welcomes the basic objective of the proposal. The provisions on the reusability, recyclability and recoverability of vehicles and the associated obligation to collect data are very positive.