Around 120 guests from European institutions and partner organisations attended the traditional New Year's reception of AK EUROPA and the Brussels office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation on 20 January 2025. The theme of the evening was pay transparency and women's policy in general.

Amid geopolitical uncertainties and crises, Europe is striving for greater competitiveness. The Draghi report serves as a guide for EU policy. We spoke to Andrew Watt, who took over the management of the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) in October 2024, about the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report. He views some of the report's proposals as positive, but also expresses some clear criticisms.

Reducing administrative burden on businesses, simplifying legislation and promoting ”Better Regulation” are among the top priorities of the EU Commission. Trade unions and civil society organisations fear a deregulation agenda at the expense of workers and the environment. A joint open letter to the EU Commission President calls on her not to question legislation that aims to protect people, nature and democracy.

In 2024, Europe was faced with both extreme floods and rising water scarcity. With the climate crisis accelerating faster than originally thought, it is more urgent than ever to ensure that everyone in Europe and beyond has access to clean and affordable drinking water and sanitation. The intention of the European Commission to introduce a European Water Resilience Strategy to strengthen water security in Europe is therefore welcome.

Civil society organisations and trade unions are calling on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to protect people, nature and democracy in a joint open letter. The letter was prompted by the EU Commission's announcement to increase the EU's competitiveness by simplifying legislation. This must not lead to the deregulation of key EU protection measures in the areas of social affairs, the environment, democracy and human rights as well as trade union rights, which are seen as burdensome by companies.

Europe's housing crisis has arrived on the EU policy agenda. With the appointment of an EU Commissioner responsible for this issue, Ursula von der Leyen wants the problem to be dealt with at the highest political level. However, many of the measures announced still seem rather vague, and overall the social dimension does not yet appear to be fully developed. Civil society and trade unions have many ideas on how housing can be organised in a more socially just way. The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) recently held a conference on this subject.

Forced labour is widespread globally, affecting around 28 million people. In order to combat it, the EU Commission presented a proposal for an EU ban on products made with forced labour in September 2022. The regulation was finally adopted on 19 November 2024. AK welcomes this important instrument for combating modern slavery.

On 8 November 2024, the informal European Council in Budapest adopted the so-called Budapest Declaration, a political declaration of intent to strengthen Europe's competitiveness. It focuses on innovation, productivity and economic growth. Other strategic goals such as energy sovereignty, climate neutrality, the circular economy and the social agenda are also addressed. The Budapest declaration ties in with the European Council’s Strategic Agenda and refers to the Draghi and Letta reports. 

Every year, public authorities spend large sums of money on publich procurement such as construction and service contracts. Hence, there is considerable potential in the design of public procurement to positively influence the market by setting qualitative criteria. The new EU Commission has announced that it will revise the Public Procurement Directive. From AK’s point of view, it is vital that the focus will be placed on social and environmental criteria at last.

The Adequate Minimum Wages Directive adopted in 2022, for the first time regulates adequate minimum wages throughout Europe. It aims to counteract in-work poverty and wage inequality at European level. The member states are supposed to implement the requirements of the directive by 15 November 2024, but so far they have only complied hesitantly.