Europe’s hotel, restaurant and catering sector features 1.8 million companies employing almost 10 million workers. Tourism is one of the few sectors of the European economy with a high potential for growth and job creation, particularly providing an entry into the labour market for young people. Given the high percentage of atypical employment in the tourism sector, the EFFAT mission is to promote decent and fair working conditions. EFFAT activities in the tourism sector include promoting improvement and recognition of qualifications and skills, socially responsible and sustainable tourism, and strengthening social dialogue in the sector to improve working conditions.
Political Secretary: Virginie Demoucron – [email protected]
Chair: Lone Sögaard Nielsen (3F, Denmark)
Deputy Chairs: Eva Eberhart (VIDA, Austria) and Murat Bakindi (TOLEYİS, Türkiye)
The European Commission published its long-awaited proposal to revise the EU Public Procurement Directive. EFFAT's first and most urgent concern is that the special procedure applicable to canteen and contract catering services is left without the clarification needed...
Catering workers today rallies along hundreds of other workers in cleaning security and logistics, demanding an overhaul of the EU's public procurement rules that have negatively shaped their pay, their hours, and the quality of the food served in Europe's schools,...
EFFAT's project "Strengthening Social Dialogue in the Agri-Food Sector in South-Eastern and Central-Eastern Europe" aimed to strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining across the EU agri-food sector, with a particular focus on South-Eastern Europe (SEE) and...
EFFAT calls on EU institutions to put workers' rights first as Parliament adopts the EU Talent Pool Regulation Brussels, 11 March 2026: This week the European Parliament adopted the EU Talent Pool Regulation with 414 votes in favour, 182 against and 21 abstentions....
Joint HOTREC-EFFAT Statement on the Commission’s Short-Term Rental Initiative In the framework of the European sectoral social dialogue, EFFAT and HOTREC, social partners in the hospitality sector have reached a joint position on the rapid expansion of short-term...
This week, EFFAT took part in the Strategic Dialogue on Tourism with Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, responsible for transport and tourism. The dialogue was organised in conjunction with the European Tourism Forum. During the event, the European Commission...
EFFAT and ETF affiliated trade unions representing food delivery workers across Europe held a coordination meeting to discuss the concerning situation facing food delivery workers. Despite the fact the deadline to transpose the Platform Work Directive is approaching...
This week is Global Week of Action for Hotel Housekeepers. As EU institutions increasingly recognise abusive subcontracting as a major barrier to equal treatment in the labour market, EFFAT stands in solidarity with hotel housekeepers across Europe. These essential...
Brussels 3 December 2025 - Today, union federations EFBWW, EFFAT, and ETF, along with workers and MEPs, gathered outside the European Parliament to show their support ahead of the EMPL Committee vote on the report addressing abusive subcontracting and unregulated...
EFFAT welcomes the European Commission’s plan to publish the first-ever European Sustainable Tourism Strategy in 2026. As tourism destinations face increasing visitor numbers and rising climate risks, this strategy represents a crucial opportunity to balance the...
