Brussels 12 February 2025: The Commission’s work programme for 2025, published today, is a missed opportunity for a fair and balanced approach between economic development and social sustainability in the EU. While there is a strong emphasis on competitiveness and simplification, it is striking that there is almost no mention of workers’ rights, social protection or fair working conditions.
The Commission’s strong focus on investment in strategic sectors and defence raises major questions about the budget available for the CAP and for a just transition in agro-food and hospitality. Moreover, there is a lack of reference to social conditionalities to ensure that these investments contribute to quality jobs, and fair wages.
Commenting on the Commission’s communication, EFFAT General Secretary Enrico Somaglia said:
“Everyone is against red tape and bureaucracy, but this mantra cannot be used as an excuse to roll back workers’ rights. The idea that deregulation can be the main driver of economic growth in the EU is not only misleading but deeply worrying. Equally disheartening is the lack of meaningful support for trade union demands, particularly at a time of cost-of-living crisis and rising inequality. We expect the current vague promises to promote quality jobs to be backed up by an ambitious quality jobs package. This should include EFFAT’s demand for an EU directive on labour intermediaries and subcontracting, EU legislation on maximum working temperatures and extreme weather events, a just transition directive and measures to ensure recognition of domestic workers’ rights.’
What Some Call ‘Red Tape’ Is Essential Social Protection
The commitment to amend the Due Diligence laws, reducing reporting obligations by 25% (and 35% for SMEs) is one of the most concerning elements of the work programme. Sustainability reporting is a fundamental step in every due diligence process that aims at identifying and tackling workers’ rights violations in complex supply chains and franchise systems. Moreover, the adoption of a 28th legal regime covering corporate, insolvency, labour, and tax law would open the door to further deregulation and a race to the bottom in terms of worker protections.
Agriculture and Food: Only Farmers and Businesses Matter?
The Commission’s push to simplify the CAP seems to focus only on farmers and businesses. This one-sided approach completely ignores the reality of farm and food workers, many of whom live in precarious and exploitative conditions. A truly forward-looking vision for the future of food and farming must go beyond deregulation and cost-cutting; it must prioritise fair wages, decent working conditions and strong protection against labour exploitation, as EFFAT has highlighted.
A Work Programme Failings Workers
From EFFAT’s point of view, this work programme prioritises deregulation over social progress and economic interests over fairness. This approach is wrong because the two can go hand in hand.The European Commission must correct this imbalance by ensuring that any investment or regulatory simplification include strong protections for working people. This general commitment must now materialise with an ambitious quality jobs package that encompass EFFAT demands.
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