Today, the Council agreed its country-specific recommendations on the economic, social, employment, structural and budgetary policies of each member state. This step is part of the 2024 European Semester process, which enables member states to coordinate their economic, employment and fiscal policies. This year the European Semester cycle will be aligned with the provisions of […]
Read More
First Net-Zero Academy to train 100,000 workers in the EU solar photovoltaic value chain
the Commission has launched the European Solar Academy, the first in a series of EU Academies to be set up under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) to have in place the necessary skills along the net-zero technologies value chains. The role of NZIA academies is to develop learning content and programmes together with the industry, to ensure […]
Read More
Eurostat: Drop in youths neither working nor studying
In 2023, more than one in ten (11.2%) young people aged 15 to 29 in the EU were neither in employment nor in education or training (NEET), a decrease of 0.5 percentage points (pp) compared with 2022. Over the last ten years, there was a noticeable decrease in the NEET rate among people aged 15 to 29. In 2013, the […]
Read More
Spain: EIB and Banco Sabadell sign guarantee agreement to facilitate up to €400 million in new financing for SMEs and mid-caps
The signed agreement worth up to €200 million is the first tranche of an EIB-approved operation of up to €300 million in total — under which Banco Sabadell will finance projects over the next two years. The operation will promote private sector investment and support the financing needs of a key segment of the Spanish economy […]
Read More
Eurostat: do you know in which EU country people work the longest hours?
In 2023, the actual weekly working hours for people aged 20-64 in their main job, in the EU, averaged 36.1 hours. A closer look at EU countries reveals notable differences. The longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), Romania (39.5), Poland (39.3) and Bulgaria (39.0). By contrast, the Netherlands had the shortest working […]
Read More
CJEU Judgment: frontier workers must enjoy the same social advantages as resident workers
A Belgian national works in Luxembourg and lives in Belgium. As a frontier worker, he depends on the Luxembourg system for family allowances, which he received for several years for a child placed in his household by a court order. In 2017, the Luxembourg Caisse pour l’avenir des enfants (CAE) (Children’s Future Fund) nevertheless withdrew […]
Read More
EIB and MicroBank to provide €200 million to finance microenterprises and self-employed in Spain
The EIB and MicroBank have signed a €100 million loan that MicroBank will top up with a further €100 million to provide microloans to small businesses and self-employed individuals wanting to launch or expand their businesses. The transaction will boost job creation, especially among young entrepreneurs in need of liquidity to turn their ideas into business […]
Read More
European Commission publishes analysis on social convergence in Spain in the context of the European Semester
The Commission has published a detailed country analysis on employment, skills and social inclusion for Spain and six other Member States (Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania), detailing the results of the social convergence framework. This more detailed analysis is based on the findings of the Joint Employment Report 2024, which includes the first […]
Read MoreCommission launches first-stage consultation of social partners on fair telework and the right to disconnect
The Commission launched the first-stage consultation of European social partners to gather their views on the possible direction of EU action on ensuring fair telework and the right to disconnect. Telework has become widespread, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU Labor Force Survey shows that the overall proportion of people working from home in the EU has almost doubled […]
Read More