Agreement on a revision of the European Works Council Directive

At a glance

• The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a political agreement on a revision of the Directive on European Works Councils.
• The amendments aim to make European works councils (EWCs) easier to establish.
• As a next step, the political agreement will need to be formally adopted by both the European Parliament as well as the Council.

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a political agreement on a revision of the Directive on European Works Councils. The amendments aim to make EWCs easier to set up, better funded and better protected.

Main elements of the revision include (1) a removal of exemptions, enabling more workers to request EWCs; (2) a clarification of the scope of transnational matters, triggering participation rights of EWCs; and (3) strengthened provisions on access to judicial proceedings, in part by ensuring that the costs of legal representation are covered.

As a next step, the political agreement will need to be formally adopted by both the European Parliament as well as the Council. Following publication, Member States will have two years to implement the legislation with the new rules applying one year after that.

More information can be found here.