MEPs want a new law to protect workers’ mental and physical health

Last Wednesday, MEPs agreed on a series of recommendations for a new EU draft law to ensure minimum requirements for preventing, eliminating or reducing work-related psychosocial risks that could lead to work-related stress, burnout and mental and physical health problems. This proposal should be preceded by an impact assessment, including an evaluation of existing legislation.

MEPs are calling for binding obligations on employers to protect mental and physical health and to ensure safe and dignified working conditions. They also want the Commission and EU countries to explicitly recognise that work-related psychosocial risks give rise to occupational diseases.

The request fora legislative initiativewas approved by 41 votes in favour, 12 against and 4 abstentions.

Policies to tackle violence and harassment

MEPs want employers to adopt and implement policies that define and prohibit violence, harassment, intimidation and discriminatory behaviour that undermine workers’ dignity or their physical or mental health, as well as early detection mechanisms and risk-based prevention protocols for violence perpetrated by third parties. They also state that it is necessary to provide timely support to workers exposed to psychosocial risks.

Psychosocial risk assessment and action plan

MEPs recommend that employers carry out regular psychosocial risk assessments to evaluate factors such as excessive workload and high work intensity, and that they adopt action plans containing specific measures. Significant restructuring or reorganisation, such as arrangements for remote working or the introduction of automated decision-making and monitoring systems, must be subject to a prior psychosocial risk assessment carried out in cooperation with workers and their representatives, they state.

Employers must also ensure that the introduction of algorithmic systems does not place an excessive burden on or subject workers to excessive monitoring, and that human supervision is always guaranteed. MEPs also reiterate that workers have the right to disconnect from work.

Support for returning to work

Workers who have been absent from work due to work-related psychosocial risks must be entitled to a supported and sustainable return to work, say MEPs. To this end, they recommend that employers draw up individual return-to-work plans, specifying factors such as adjustments to working hours or the organisation of work, and adaptations to the worker’s tasks or workload.

Injuries or harm allegedly related to work

Employers must ensure that, where a worker demonstrates that they have suffered injuries or damage to their health due to exposure to work-related psychosocial risk factors, such injuries or damage are presumed to be work-related, unless the employer can prove that they are not linked to the worker’s working conditions.

Quote: Rapporteur Estelle Ceulemans(S&D, BE) stated:

‘This report represents a step forward, as it calls on the European Commission to put forward a legislative proposal to tackle burnout, depression, stress and harassment. The prevalence of these issues is soaring across Europe and is being exacerbated by the growing use of digital technologies and AI in the workplace. Tackling these structural work-related problems is not only an occupational health obligation, but also an economic issue, with work-related depression costing the EU 100 billion euros annually.”

 

Next steps:

Parliament is expected to vote on thislegislative initiativeduring its plenary session on 1 October 2026. The Commission will then have three months to respond, either by informing Parliament of the measures it intends to take or by justifying its refusal to propose a legislative initiative in line with Parliament’s request.