European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) represents 45 million workers across 94 national trade union confederations in 42 countries, plus 10 sectoral European trade union federations. ETUC is a recognised cross-industry social partner to the EU under the Treaties. The ETUC Executive Committee on 7 October 2026 adopted the ETUC Position on the Public Procurement Act.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) represents 45 million workers as members across 94 national trade union confederations in 42 countries, plus 10 sectoral European trade union federations. ETUC is a recognised cross-industry social partner to the EU under the Treaties.

European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Boulevard du Jardin Botanique 20 1000 Brussels Belgium To: European Commission – Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act Consultation Date: Subject: ETUC input on the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act Dear Sir or Madam, The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes the European Commission’s plan to propose an Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act…

Opening of the attached position paper · the full paper is on the Commission’s record (source link above)

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the cross-industry European level organisation representing workers, gathering 94 national trade unions from 42 countries with 45 million members. 10 sectorial European trade union federations are also affiliated to ETUC. In this capacity, ETUC is a recognised social partner to the EU under the Treaties.

The ETUC submits the following red lines in response to the European Commissions public consultation :Wrong legal basis and unacceptable use of a Regulation:ETUC strongly contests the use of Article 114 TFEU as legal basis for the 28th regime. Article 114 is intended to harmonise existing national laws, not to create a parallel optional company regime.

Free movement of labour cannot be "free" if driven by lack of local choice. When workers leave home due to a scarcity of quality employment, low wages, or dismantled public services, mobility becomes forced. The "Right to Stay" must serve as a structural counterweight to ensure market resilience and upward social convergence, providing the necessary conditions for workers to work and live locally with quality.

The ETUC regrets that the ESRS are being revised in the absence of substantial evidence that they are too burdensome for companies. The CSRD foresees an evaluation of the ESRS at least every three years; however, the process of revision started before many companies had published their first sustainability statements, thus there was no serious basis to evaluate the effectiveness of the Set 1 ESRS.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the voice of workers at the European level. It represents 45 million members from 90 trade union organisations in 38 European countries, plus 10 European Trade Union Federations. First, the ETUC believes that a Climate Law can be a useful tool to help the European Union to tackle adequately the climate change crisis.

IIA provides additional but still general information on options the EC intends to consider for legal act on AI. IIA still lacks to address the specificity of the workplace. Imbalance of power between employers and workers should lead EC to consider robust AI frame to create quality jobs, invest in workers AI literacy, promote and increase safeguarding of workers rights, of workers protection, consider…

ETUC call for a European directive on mandatory Human Rights due diligence and responsible business conduct The ETUC calls for a European directive on mandatory human rights due diligence and responsible business conduct.

The CLP regulation is important not only because it allows all European workers and consumers to be informed through the same labelling about the intrinsic properties of hazardous chemicals but also because it automatically brings these hazardous substances within the scope of around 20 pieces of European Legislation controlling their use.

The ETUC reply to this OPC on the European Innovation Act focuses in particular on three areas in the questionnaire. Firstly, on the possible EU definitions for innovative companies, start-ups & scaleups, the ETUC considers that eventual benefits of any EU definition will largely depend on the clarity and inclusiveness of the definition, as unclear and excluding definitions will create more (legal) unclarity and…

The ETUC calls for a Skills Portability Initiative that strengthens workers rights, ensures fair mobility, and prevents wage and social dumping. The initiative must enhance employability and job quality while avoiding approaches that prioritise talent search and labour supply over decent work.

ETUC Reply to the European Commission’s Public Consultation on Corporate Sustainability Reporting The draft Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) would help to implement a single set of mandatory reporting standards for European companies.

Opening of the attached position paper · the full paper is on the Commission’s record (source link above)

The ETUC reiterates that the Non-Financial Reporting Directive does not provide the necessary framework to fulfill the needs of stakeholders (including workers and their representatives) for full, reliable and timely information on companies’ policies and impacts on the environment, workforce, society, human rights, bribery and corruption.

The European Green Deal presents a unique opportunity for the EU to radically scale up and speed up actions to protect its citizens and ecosystems from the risks of exposure to hazardous chemicals. EU decision-makers must seize this opportunity to set Europe on the road to a non-toxic and healthy future by improving REACH, the main piece of EU legislation on the use and marketing of chemical substances.

Executive summary Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 on European standardisation establishes a legal framework to ensure that products and services introduced to, or circulating within, the Single Market conform to essential legal requirements, particularly those pertaining to health and safety.

Please find attached ETUC's preliminary answers to the open stakeholder consultation on the Commission's proposal for a Just Transition Fund regulation. Do not hesitate to reach out to us should you need any further details or clarifications on these views.

Workers with disabilities should be granted the transfer of entitlements of support service when moving to another EU country: this is essential to ensure free movement and equal opportunity to work. The card should facilitate the transition when moving to another EU Member State for work.

ETUC wishes to give its views on the announced Citizens Omnibus initiative, expressing serious concerns about the substance and approach envisaged by the Commission, particularly given the negative experiences and impacts for workers stemming from previous omnibus proposals.

ETUC calls for a worker centred VET Strategy that delivers concrete rights, quality jobs, fair pay and strong social dialogue. The strategy must be rooted in the European Pillar of Social Rights. ETUC insists that VET must serve workers and society, not only competitiveness.

ETUC contribution for a fair platform economy Response to the European commission’s Fairness in platform-tobusiness relations initiative This Commission’s initiative aims at tackling unfair trading practices with a focus on online marketplaces (Amazon, Booking.com, etc.). It is business-oriented, with a special focus on SMEs and micro-traders using online platforms to sell their products and services.

Opening of the attached position paper · the full paper is on the Commission’s record (source link above)

The ETUC does not question the European standardisation system as governed by Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012, nor the process by which the European Commission, in line with specific procedures, can mandate the development of standards and standardisation deliverables to support Union legislation and policies.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes the Commissions intention to present a Fair Labour Mobility Package. This is crucial to address persistent challenges that undermine workers rights, fair competition and social progress.

The development of high-quality sector-specific European Sustainability Reporting Standards is necessary to ensure that companies report on sector-specific topics and metrics of relevance to workers, communities, consumers and the environment.

Lead and lead compounds are important substances for battery production and recycling, manufacture of lead oxides, glass and ceramics. These substances are hazardous for both human health and the environment. They are currently classified under the CLP regulation with a harmonised classification as substances toxic for reproduction in humans (Reproduction category 1A) and are covered under the CAD with outdated…

Asbestos screening prior to the start of work should be mandatory. Not only employers but also main contractors, contracting authorities, and owners should be obliged to carry out an asbestos diagnosis before commissioning any work. Only qualified and certified operators should be commissioned with the search for asbestos prior to the start of work.

Asbestos screening prior to the start of work should be mandatory. Not only employers but also main contractors, contracting authorities, and owners should be obliged to carry out an asbestos diagnosis before commissioning any work. Only qualified and certified operators should be commissioned with the search for asbestos prior to the start of work.

ETUC fully supports Commission’s intention to improve the Asbestos at Work Directive by reviewing the binding limit value for asbestos. Asbestos is still present in many European buildings and bedrock in mines, and is a significant health and safety threat for millions of European workers.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), representing 45 million workers through 94 national trade union confederations in 42 countries, as well as 10 European sectoral trade union federations, and recognised as a European social partner under the EU Treaties, would like to share its position on the review of the mandate of the European Labour Authority (ELA).

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes the announcement of a European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS) as part of the forthcoming Fair Labour Mobility Package. ESSPASS has the potential to bring added value as an instrument to improve cross-border protection and enforcement of workers rights.

The ETUC remains highly critical on the development of the EU Talent Pool, which seems to take us back to earlier models of labour migration designed for, and driven by, employers, which the ETUC clearly rejects. However, the ETUC welcomes the call for evidence in order to assess the possible policy options.

ETUC remains critical of the underlying purpose of this Directive as a tool of immigration control rather than one designed to prevent labour exploitation and improve the working conditions of undocumented migrant workers.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) wishes to share its feedback in response to the call for evidence launched by the European Commission as regards the impact assessment for a Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI). ETUC is the cross-industry European level organisation of trade unions and represents 92 national confederations from 39 countries with 45 million members.

Summary: The ETUC has not taken a specific position on (the use of) ‘Passerelle’ clauses. However, it did express itself at several occasions both in general (e.g. in relation to subsequent Treaty revisions) and/or in specific issue-related resolutions on the need to have more efficient decision-making procedures (including voting requirements) in and for the EU.

Trade unions welcome action by the European Commission today to protect over 1.1 million people from work-related cancer by putting binding exposure limits on three dangerous substances. The Commission has proposed Binding Occupational Exposure Limit Values (BOELs) on Acrylonitrile, Nickel compounds and Benzene as part of an update to its Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD).