Dear members, partners, and friends,

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As we approach CESI's Summer Days 2025 under the headline "A New Quality Jobs Roadmap - The Role of Active Labour Market Policies", the timing is significant: Labour markets across Europe are under extraordinary pressure.

The overlapping challenges of demographic shifts, technological disruption, the twin green and digital transitions, geopolitical instability, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic are converging in unprecedented ways.

The most recent Eurofound Yearbook 2024, published in May 2025, leaves no doubt: Europe faces not a temporary labour market imbalance, but a long-term, structural workforce crisis. Vacancy rates remain historically high in key sectors such as construction, ICT, health and care services, with SMEs especially struggling to recruit workers with the right skills.

In 2023 alone, 80% of SMEs reported difficulties finding qualified staff, directly threatening the EU's ability to meet its green and digital transition targets. In sectors central to climate action, such as heat pump installation, shortages of tens of thousands of skilled workers risk derailing critical decarbonisation objectives.

Against this complex backdrop, we believe that active labour market policies (ALMPs) are no longer an optional labour market instrument - they are the cornerstone of a socially resilient, competitive and fair Europe. But to succeed, ALMPs must adopt a two-fold mission: they must address both supply-side and demand-side shortcomings.

The Commission's latest 2024 action plan and Union of Skills initiative echo this integrated approach: empowering individuals to reskill, upskill and access decent work, while actively engaging businesses to improve job quality, invest in training, and adapt work organisation.

The Eurofound findings are clear: many of the sectors facing the most acute shortages are precisely those with some of the poorest working conditions - low wages, high physical demands, unsocial hours, precarious contracts and elevated burnout risks.

For ALMPs to deliver, we need strong investment in training, robust public employment services, and above all, genuine social dialogue at every level. Workers and their trade unions must be co-architects of these transitions. Quality employment is not just about job creation - it is about creating sustainable jobs that provide fair pay, dignity, autonomy, security, and career prospects.

Meaningful involvement of social partners is essential. Eurofound's latest research shows, while social partners are often consulted, their involvement in the concrete design and monitoring of Just Transition and ALMP measures remains insufficient in many Member States. A stronger role for trade unions, worker representation, and collective bargaining must be a non-negotiable pillar of the just initiated Quality Jobs Roadmap.

The CESI Summer Days 2025 offer a good opportunity to move from diagnosis to solution. Over two days, representatives from EU institutions, think tanks, public employment services, the ILO, the European Economic and Social Committee, civil society and not least trade unions will explore:

-       How to overcome persistent labour and skills shortages through targeted, inclusive ALMPs.

-       How education, VET, dual learning and reskilling systems must be strengthened to address both skills shortages and inequalities, with a focus on SMEs that often lack training capacities.

-       How to tackle uneven impacts of the green and digital transitions, which risk deepening social divides if not accompanied by proactive support for vulnerable workers and regions.

-       How can ALMPs be leveraged to create sustainable and inclusive employment.

-       What is the role of public and private actors in delivering effective ALMPs.

-       How can trade unions and civil society contribute to shaping active labour market frameworks that leave no one behind.

-       What sector-specific strategies are needed to respond to disruptions such as industrial transformation or refugee integration.

Tackling these challenges will require initiatives that cut across silos and integrate employment, education, industrial, social and migration policies.

In this spirit, I look forward to welcoming all participants in Brussels.

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With kindest regards,
Klaus Heeger

CESI Summer Days 2025
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A new Quality Jobs Roadmap: The Role of Active Labour Market Policies
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An event by the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI)
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Thursday, June 26 2025, 14.00-18.30 (followed by BBQ & live music)
Friday, June 27 2025, 9.00-13.30 (followed by lunch)
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Venue: Le Bouche à Oreille, Rue Félix Hap 11, 1040 Brussels
Moderated by Elizabeth Kuiper, European Policy Centre (EPC)

REGISTER

Full programme
 
In a rapidly changing world of work, ensuring access to quality employment remains a key challenge for policymakers, employment services, businesses, social partners, trade unions and civil society.
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As labour markets are challenged by industrial transformations, digitalisation and robotisation, green transitions, demographic shifts, and new forms of work, active labour market policies (ALMPs) have become critical tools for fostering inclusion, resilience, and sustainable growth.
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As part of CESI’s EU co-funded ‘Activer’ project, this year’s fifth edition of CESI’s Summer Days will explore the evolving role of ALMPs in shaping a new EU Quality Jobs Roadmap as announced by the European Commission.
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The event will bring together policymakers, employment agencies, social partners, civil society actors and researchers to discuss emerging labour market trends, best practices in ALMP implementation, and the role of dialogue in driving change.
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· How can ALMPs be leveraged to create sustainable and inclusive employment?

· What is the role of public and private actors in delivering effective ALMPs?

· How can trade unions and civil society contribute to shaping active labour market frameworks that leave no one behind?

· What sector-specific strategies are needed to respond to disruptions such as industrial transformation or refugee integration?

With the participation of:
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· Mario Nava, Director General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission

· Oliver Röpke, President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

· MEP Estelle Ceulemans (S&D), Member of the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

· MEP Jana Toom (Renew), Member of the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

· Janice Schmidt-Altmeyer, Head of European Representation Office of the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit)

· Carlien van Empel, Director of the ILO Office for the European Union

· Romain Wolff, President of CESI

… and many others

With experts and workshop partners from:
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·      Eurofound

·      Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

·      German Federal Employment Agency (BA)

·      European Policy Centre (EPC)

·      UNI Europa

·      World Employment Confederation (WEC)

·      European Women’s Lobby (EWL)

·      European Disability Forum (EDF)

… and many others

The hearing, which was steered by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), aimed to assess in particular the priorities of trade unions for a European automotive sector which is innovate and remains a hub for quality employment on the continent - despite the challenges it faces in the international context.

During the hearing, which took place as part of the European Commission's Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry, CESI was represented by Secretary General Klaus Heeger and Sara Rinaudo from the Italian Fismic-Confsal union, which represents Italian metal workers in the Italian car industry. They made clear that workers in the car industry currently need:

• Enhanced social protection: Implementation of social protection mechanisms for workers impacted by the restructuring and transition to sustainable mobility - Extension and strengthening of social safety nets to ensure adequate worker security, easing the tax burden at national level currently affecting these benefits.
• Support for the green transition: Increasing investment plans to support the automotive sector - Implementation of a realistic and gradual transition, adjusting Green Deal sanctions deadlines and adopting a tailored approach for the specific needs of the automotive sector - Recognition of alternative fuels and intermediate technologies - Promotion of technological neutrality and support the use of intermediate solutions for the industry’s sustainable evolution.
• Adequate economic support: Strengthening of European transition funds and provision of tax incentives to companies investing in green technologies - Emphasis on research and development while simplifying fund access for SMEs in the sector.

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As in previous annual editions, this year's CESI train driver lobby days for ALE featured high level meetings with the European Commission and a series of MEPs involved in EU transportation and employment policy, including: 

• MEP Jens Gieseke, EPP Group Coordinator in the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism (EP TRAN) and MEP Dariusz Joński, EPP Deputy Group Coordinator,
• MEP Johan Danielsson, S&D group coordinator in EP TRAN, and
• MEPs Konstantinos Arvanitis, Rosa María Serrano Sierra, Alicia Homs Ginel and Elena Nevado del Camp

The ALE delegation was led by Alejandro Martínez Treceño, Secretary General of ALE, who presented ALE's priorities on: 

• a revision of the EU Train Drivers’ Directive
• working conditions in the railway profession and challenges in the supply of labour in the sector as a result of ageing workforces
• the contribution of rail transport to climate change mitigation
• the European Commission's plans for a high-speed rail system in the EU
• the functioning of Directive 2016/797 on the Iteroperability of the Rail System in the EU

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: "Our annual train driver lobby days in Brussels in cooperation with ALE are excellent opportunities to bring expert members of ours in the rail sector together with key EU decision makers in Brussels to discuss bilaterally and directly about concrete issues and challenges for workers in the railway sector, and on ways to address them through policy making at the EU level. We are glad to see when these talks end in tangible results and deepened cooperation."

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The project focuses on the topics of disability and ageing. The consultants’ role will be to support the project implementation through 2 parts:

• Part 1: Collection, analysis and share of data
• Part 2: Workshop facilitation supported by design-thinking

The proposals have to be sent to PostEurop Projects Team (Mr. Antonino Scribellito / [email protected] and Mr. Waqas Ahsen / [email protected]), in charge of the administrative management and coordination of this project, by 19 June 2025.

The full tender including all specifications and details is available on the website of PostEurop.

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In unanimous votes, the following were elected:

• Eva Fernández Urbón, Equality Policy Coordinator of the Spanish CSIF trade union, as President of the Commission on Employment and Social Affairs (SOC)
• Synnöve Nüchter, Board member of the dbb's Federal Women's Representation, as President of the Commission on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
• Maik Wagner, Chairman of the dbb's social security insurance union GdS, as Vice-President of the Commission on Employment and Social Affairs (SOC)
• Sabrina Pellerito, Adviser at the Italian Cisal trade union, as Vice-President of the Commission on Employment and Social Affairs (SOC)
• Romana Deckenbacher, Vice-President of CESI's affiliate Eurofedop, as Vice-President of the Commission on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
• Carmen Jaffke, Member of the Executive Committee of the Luxembourgish CGFP trade union, as Vice-President of the Commission on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)

Their mandate will run until CESI's next Congress, foreseen in 2029.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: "I am most glad that CESI's Commissions on Employment and Social Affairs and on Women's Rights and Gender Equality will both have a highly competent leadership during the next years. Eva Fernández Urbón, Maik Wagner and Sabrina Pellerito for the SOC Commission and Synnöve Nüchter, Romana Deckenbacher and Carmen Jaffke for the FEMM Commission bring together a wealth of expertise and experience in activism in employment and gender equality respectively. All have a proven track record of successful interest representation for working conditions and equal opportunities in their countries and national trade unions. At the European level, they will be a strong leadership for CESI to advocate decent employment and equal rights for our membership at large."

Titled 'European equality policies made in Brussels: What added value for Germany?', the conference aimed to

• explore the results of European gender equality policy in Germany,
• assess the implementation of recent EU gender equality policies into German national law, and
• sketch subsequent gender equality policy demands to the EU.

Expert presentations on the role of major EU gender equality directives, such as the recent EU pay transparency directive, women on boards directive, gender-based violence directive, and equality bodies directives were delivered by

• Marion Böker, German consultant specialised in women's rights and long-standing Member of the Executive Board of the European Women's Lobby (EWL), and
• Katja Lenzing, Deputy Head of Unit for Gender Equality at the European Commission’s Directorate-General für Justice and Consumer Protection.

CESI policy demands were outlined by Synnöve Nüchter, designated President of CESI’s Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

Following a debate with the participants, a concluding trade union panel with CESI members put the essence of the discussions of the conference into perspective - including from a pan-European comparative perspective, featuring

• Eva Fernández Urbón, designated President of CESI’s Commission on Employment and Social Affairs and Equality Policy Coordinator of the Spanish CSIF trade union,
• Dagmara Iwanciw ,Vice-President of CESI and Member of the Presidium of the National Board of the Polish WZZ Forum-Oświata trade union, and
• Carmen Jaffke, designated Vice President of CESI’s Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and Member of the Executive Committee of the Luxembourgish CGFP trade union.

On May 8th, 2025, CESI, with the support of its Serbian member, the Association of Physicians and Pharmacists of Serbia (SLFS), marked a landmark moment for healthcare trade union cooperation, gender equality, and Serbia’s EU integration in Belgrade.

CESI’s Expert Commission on ‘Healthcare Services’ (SAN) met and elected its new leadership. As part of the eQualPro project, the meeting addressed urgent policy matters in the healthcare sector in Europe, as well as gender equality and the digital transformation of healthcare systems in Serbia.

European and Serbian stakeholders discussed gender biases in AI and their effects on recruitment, promotion, and training; best practices on gender-sensitive health workforce reforms; and EU-backed tools for equality and inclusion in digital transition efforts.

Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General, opened the session by calling for overdue investments in resilient and better-staffed healthcare systems, warning that no society can withstand crises or demographic shifts without a strong care workforce.

The commission then elected its new leadership:

• President: Paloma Repila (SATSE, Spain)
• Vice-Presidents: Gorica Djokić (SLFS, Serbia) and Joost Veldt (CNV Connectief, The Netherlands)

Different speakers highlighted the challenges in the healthcare sector regarding quality health care, staff shortages, and gender equality.

Paloma Repila emphasised the need to empower women in leadership and ensure equity, solidarity, and well-being in trade union agendas. Greet Vermeylen (European Commission) presented key points from the EU’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025, calling for a persistent focus on closing the gap in working conditions for women.

Margrieta Langins (WHO Europe) addressed nursing shortages and stressed the importance of integrating gender policies into workforce planning. Alba Bernini (Joint Research Centre) highlighted data-driven planning as critical to achieving sustainable, equitable health access across Europe.

New research on staff shortages was unveiled by Tadas Leoncikas (Eurofound), urging immediate measures to attract and retain healthcare workers. Oliver Krzywanek (komba/dbb) explained Germany’s new Nursing Assistance Act, noting that structural changes are needed to reduce part-time work and improve conditions for women in caregiving.

Finally, Jelena Šapić (Reshaping Work) and Federica Margheri (European Health Management Association) discussed the dual potential of AI to support care delivery and exacerbate bias—urging inclusive, ethical implementation.

Meeting with Secretary of State Ivana Stasević Karličić

In a separate political meeting, Klaus Heeger and Gorica Djokić met with Ivana Stasević Karličić, Secretary of State at Serbia’s Ministry of Health.

The meeting focused on strengthening social dialogue in the healthcare sector, improving collective bargaining rights, and enhancing gender equality and working conditions in healthcare.

Secretary Stasević Karličić welcomed the delegation and affirmed Serbia’s commitment to inclusive social dialogue.

A Shared Commitment and Vision

The day concluded with the adoption of the CESI Expert Commission’s latest position on EU Health Union priorities, with strong joint messages:

• Staff up and skill up – Europe needs binding staffing standards, cross-border recognition, and a bold EU Care Pact to fight chronic understaffing and protect both patients and professionals.
• Put mental health on the agenda – Make employer-provided support and psychosocial risk assessments a legal requirement to tackle burnout and safeguard well-being in the healthcare sector.
• Close the gender gap now – Enforce pay transparency, promote women into leadership, and value unpaid care work to build a fair and inclusive health workforce for the future.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: "We support the idea of revised EU public procurement minimum standards that are a powerful tool to stimulate jobs, growth and investment and which thereby foster an economy that is more resilient, innovative, resource and energy-efficient - and socially inclusive. At a time when efficiency, innovation and competition are increasingly being prioritised, we insist that social outcomes must remain at the forefront of any revision of the public procurement directives."

In this context, CESI called on the European Commission to consider in legislative proposals for revised public procurement rules:

• ‍An incorporation of mandatory social criteria: Revised directives must require the inclusion of mandatory social criteria in procurement tender procedures. Bidders should be required to be assessed not only on price and technical capacity but also on compliance with EU, national and sectoral labour laws, the observance of collective bargaining agreements, and adherence to minimum wages and safe and healthy working conditions. This approach would effectively counter a race to the bottom of social and labour standards through public procurement. ‍
• Early and systematic involvement of trade unions and worker representatives: Revised public procurement directives should make clear that trade unions and worker representatives in public authorities must be integrated in procurement processes at an early stage. They should have a monitoring role in the awarding process to ensure that labour standards are upheld from the outset. Tender documents should be subject to approval by representative employee participation bodies. This would safeguard against adverse impacts on workers and strengthen accountability, too.‍
• Protection of job security and transition provisions: Revised public procurement directives should encourage protect workers in the event of a transfer between service providers during the execution of services under a publicly awarded contract. Such protection relates most notably to the preservation of existing terms and conditions,the recognition of service length, and consultation practices with trade unions. This wouldenhance job security and predictability for affected workers. It would counterthe instability which often associated with frequent re-tendering.

CESI also stressed that

• current EU public procurement rules provide uncertainty and ambiguity about the incorporation of social conditionalities in public tender procedures. Despite a plethora of guidance material from the side of the European Commission, many authorities in charge of issuing call for tenders are unsure on how to create legally soundproof tender documents with social conditionalities. In the end, many refrain from it and just play safe by opting for tender procedures on the basis of lowest bidders.
• with clear and simple rules on social conditionalities to be included in tenders (notably, a respect for a collective agreements), significant levels bureaucracy and red tape could be cut, while at the same time numerous workers across Europe currently abused would benefit from better employment and working conditions.
• a simple and clear wording could be possible along lines such as: “A public tender may only be awarded to a beneficiary that does not apply a collective agreement if there is no other applicant that does so while also fulfilling other applicable tender specifications. Otherwise, no public tender may be awarded to a beneficiary that does not apply a collective agreement to its workforce.”
• a revision of the public procurement directives could in this way be a landmark example on how to reconcile cutting red tape with improved social justice.

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The priorities, which were determined in the context of a consultation by the European Commission, include:

1. Prioritising investment in military security and resilient and modern public services. The next MFF must focus on: 

reinforcing military defence and civil protection. Military security is a necessary precondition for economic prosperity and social wellbeing. Russia’s war in Ukraine coupled with unpredictable future military support in Europe by the USA mean that the Europe must invest more than in the past in its own security.

support for performing and resilient public services and administrations. This concerns in all frontline public services that are needed in times of crises. Investments in well-resourced and resilient public services seem costly in the short term, but they pay off in the medium- and long-term because the next crisis comes for sure – it is just not clear when exactly, where, and which form and scope. Necessary investments in infrastructure, facilities, equipment as well as the level of staff and its working conditions must be benchmarked against crisis situations.

support for available, affordable and high quality public heath care services, early childhood education and care, secondary education and professional training as well as public employment and integration services. Investments in the health and employability of the population, especially the young generation, are sure pay off in terms of economic growth in the future. Failing to invest will yield the opposite.

2. Strengthening the social dimension of the MFF. The next MFF must put social fairness and decent work at its core, to complement strives for enhanced competitiveness. This means coupling EU funding rigorously to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), ensuring decent working conditions, fair wages, gender equality and strong collective bargaining structures. Without this, the EU risks turning its investment agenda into a purely economic exercise that bypasses workers and fails to address social and employment-related inequalities.

3. Driving the green and digital transitions with social safeguards. The next MFF should:

link environmental and digital investments to job creation and decent work standards – including collective agreements – as well as local economic revitalisation, particularly in regions facing industrial decline.

expand funding for green and digital training up- and re-skilling programmes for workers.

4. Building inclusive stakeholder engagement. The next MFF must structurally integrate trade unions, including independent trade unions, into the monitoring and evaluation of the next MFF, to ensure that a necessary social approach is maintained throughout its execution phase in 2034.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: "In a time marked by numerous crises and challenges – from climate change,thedigitaltransition and demographic shifts to regional conflicts and global geopolitical tensions – we believe that the next MFF must be both an investment tool for military security, climate neutrality and economic prosperity in the EU as well as a social compact that strengthens and fosters fairness and empowers workers and public services across Europe – the backbone of resilient societies and competitive business environments."

CESI's full priorities for the next MFF are available here.

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Brussels 6 May 2025

The European sectoral social partners for Local and Regional Governments, Hospitals and healthcare, Education, Hotels, restaurants and cafés (Hospitality), and Central Governments adopted the updated European Multi-sectoral Guidelines to Prevent and Tackle Third-Party Violence and Harassment Related to Work. This follows a six-month round of negotiations last year with the financial support of the European Commission.

​This significant achievement demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the involved social partners to ensuring safe, inclusive, and respectful workplaces across Europe and providing evidence-based guidance to their members including health and safety representatives at work.

​The revised Guidelines draw upon ILO Violence and Harassment Convention (No.190), existing policies, and collective agreements at national level to address pressing challenges in light of increased episodes of third-party violence and harassment at work following the COVID-19 pandemic and a changing world of work.

​They offer to the trade unions and employers:

• Key elements for a TPVH policy devised by management and workers’ representatives and trade unions, anchored in social dialogue, occupational safety and health, gender equality and non-discrimination with an intersectional approach.
• Practical tools and measures for health risk assessments – for example psychosocial risks and staffing levels-, prevention, and responses, such as social dialogue, awareness raising, training and clear reporting and complaint procedures.
• Definitions and principles on fostering a culture of respect and zero tolerance to violence and harassment including by learning from previous incidents and cooperating with relevant public authorities.
• Remedies to support victims and hold perpetrators accountable, including support and transparent investigations.
• A joint TPVH website with practical examples of policies and collective agreements

Following the adoption, the signatories will disseminate and promote the implementation of the guidelines among their members at the national level including in future collective agreements.

On behalf of the employers’ delegation:“By concluding these updated guidelines, employers reaffirm their commitment to fostering workplaces where safety and respect are at the core, ensuring that both workers and the services delivered to citizens are protected”, said Fabrizio Rossi, CEMR Secretary General.On behalf of the trade unions’ delegation:“Workers should never fear going to work. Violence, including gender-based violence, should never be normalised and deemed part of any job. By underlining that every workplace should have a TPVH policy and, importantly, be sufficiently staffed and resourced to do the job, the Guidelines will contribute to eradicating what has become a major safety and health risk”, said Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU General Secretary.

CESI SG Klaus Heeger said: “Let us use these guidelines not as an end point, but as a living tool for implementation at national and workplace level. Together we can draw the line: let’s end third-party violence and harassment at work, in order to protect those who protect, respect those who serve, care for those who care for citizens.”

On 25 April 2025, CESI, in partnership with the Romanian trade unions Uniunea TESA and CSN Meridian, successfully convened a regional seminar in Târgu Mureș, Romania, under the ACTIVER programme. The event brought together stakeholders from across Central and Eastern Europe to discuss the critical role of social dialogue and European cooperation in advancing decent wages and Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs) within the public health sector.

The seminar opened with a welcome address that introduced participants to the overarching goals of the ACTIVER project—fostering stronger cooperation between European trade unions, policymakers, and public sector stakeholders to shape inclusive labour market transitions. The focus was placed on securing fair wages, improving working conditions, and supporting skill development through targeted ALMPs.

In his keynote intervention, Klaus Heeger, Secretary General of CESI, highlighted the strategic importance of ALMPs in mitigating labour shortages and adapting to fast-evolving skill demands in public services. He emphasised how these policies serve as a cornerstone for both economic resilience and social equity, especially in the health sector.

Following the opening, the seminar featured a range of contributions from representatives across Romania, Hungary, Moldova, and Italy. Each presentation explored how social dialogue can effectively support wage structures and workforce development. Speakers from Romania and Hungary examined their respective salary systems in the healthcare sector and the role trade unions play in collective bargaining, particularly during transitional periods marked by upskilling and reskilling needs. A representative from Moldova shared how the country’s social dialogue framework is evolving and how this supports its healthcare workforce in meeting new skill demands. Italy’s perspective offered reflections on recent legislative and structural reforms aimed at improving both wages and continuous training in the health sector.

Later sessions focused on the legal frameworks governing salary implementation and labour rights in Romania’s healthcare system. Legal experts and hospital managers shared their experiences navigating complex legislation, highlighting inconsistencies and obstacles in wage enforcement, and calling for greater clarity and support mechanisms. Frontline insights also emerged from a discussion led by medical professionals, who shed light on the broader challenges faced by healthcare workers beyond remuneration—such as workload, psychological strain, and workplace recognition.

The seminar concluded with an open discussion, where participants explored ways to transform national insights into coordinated European action. The exchange reaffirmed the value of cross-border cooperation and how European frameworks can empower trade unions and public authorities to design fairer, future-oriented labour policies. CESI and Uniunea TESA closed the event by reaffirming their commitment to supporting sustainable labour market transitions that leave no healthcare worker behind.

This year's theme, focusing on the impact of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) on occupational health and safety (OSH), is a timely reminder of the new opportunities - but also challenges - that these technologies present for workers and employment. From algorithmic management and AI-driven monitoring systems to remote and platform work, the digital transition is reshaping traditional work environments and the risks workers face. While innovation holds the promise of improving workplace safety, it also introduces new psychosocial risks, inequalities, and pressures that must be carefully addressed.

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CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger stressed: "As independent trade unions, we must ensure that the digital transformation does not come at the cost of workers' health, dignity, and safety. Digitalisation and AI must serve to improve working conditions, not undermine them. CESI stands firmly by the side of workers to make sure that the future of work remains safe, healthy, and fair for all."

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CESI is fully aware that the digital transition must be managed with responsibility, ensuring that human-centred approaches to work are upheld. This includes proactively identifying and mitigating new OSH risks, setting strong regulatory frameworks, and ensuring that workers have the right to be involved in decisions concerning their health and safety, especially in increasingly digitalised workplaces.

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In this context, CESI is proud to be a partner of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work’s (EU-OSHA) in its current Healthy Workplaces Campaign on the promotion of safe and healthy work in the digital age. Through this partnership, CESI actively contributes to raising awareness and fostering practical solutions that help create workplaces where digital innovation supports rather than threatens the wellbeing of all workers.

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The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is not only a moment to reflect but also a call to action. CESI will continue to advocate for policies that strengthen OSH standards, ensure a just transition for all workers, and safeguard decent work conditions - now and in the digital future. Together, we can build a safer, healthier, and fairer digital workplace for everyone.

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The event brought together CESI trade union representatives with policy makers, researchers and civil organisations for a youth-led dialogue on housing accessibility and gender inequality in Europe. Discussions focused on how precarious work, soaring housing costs and insufficiently inclusive public policies– together – disproportionately impact young women throughout the EU.

Sara Rinaudo, CESI Youth Board member and trade union leader in Italy, expressed serious concerns about the EU’s housing affordability crisis, which, according to Eurofound figures, saw rents rising by 19% and house prices by 47% between 2010and 2022 – with women and single mothers often hit hardest. She stressed: “If you want to build a stronger Europe, you must start by making sure people have a roof over their heads – one they can afford, one that is safe, one that supports their family life and working life. Housing is not a luxury. It is a fundamental right. And ensuring that right – for all, not just a few – is an obligation for us all.’

Dutch MEP Marit Maij, member of the European Parliament Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union, emphasised the importance of sustaining the ‘housing first’-approach to homelessness and recalled that most of the people that are affected by rough housing are young persons.

Alice Pittini, Research Director at Housing Europe, reflected on recent insights from housing research focussing on vulnerable populations, including on issues such as rising rental and housing prices coupled with low wages and part-time work that limit especially women’s and young mothers’ housing options and often lead to limited supply of housing, insecure and substandard housing security, geographic displacements as well as childcare and housing interconnection issues.

Marie Hyland from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), provided new EU data on unaffordable and inadequate housing, revealing that the housing cost over burden rate in Europe is roughly 40% or more of the income spent on housing, with single parents and single women households being at a particularly high risk. Overall, she noted, women also at greater risk of poverty amongst those overburdened with housing costs.

Ruth Paserman, Director at the European Commission’s Directorate for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, offered an overview of housing strategies at the EU level, noting that while housing remains a national responsibility, these strategies align with the objectives of the EU Green Deal, which remain unchanged.

A representative of the Making Mothers Matter highlighted the importance of addressing intersectional, compounded barriers for example for young women, especially mothers and migrant workers with a lack of equal pay, access to affordable childcare, strong tenant protections and consideration of tailored housing regulations.

The event highlighted the central importance for EU institutions to tailor housing and employment policies to support women’s rights and youth empowerment – in other words young women in particular.

Exploring available EU policy avenues and the role of trade unions highlighted the need for a comprehensive EU-led approach to housing. This should also include integrating affordable housing into the EU Green Deal, ensuring adequate financing for affordable and social housing, implementing stronger regulations to prioritise people over profit in the housing market, and reinforcing the role of local, regional, and national initiatives to housing accessibility and affordability.

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On April 9, 2025, a meeting organised by the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), in collaboration with ANIEF (Professional and Trade Union Association), CSA (Regions and Local Authorities), and Cisal (Italian Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions), took place at “Spazio Europa,” the European Parliament headquarters in Rome. The significant debate on the topic “Women and Work in Public Administration in Italy and the EU” is part of CESI’s “eQUALPro” project, co-financed by the European Commission.

The event was moderated by journalist Lorena Loiacono and began with official greetings via video message from Ana GALLEGO TORRES, Director-General of DG JUST – Justice and Consumers at the European Commission, Francesco CAVALLARO, Secretary-General of CISAL, and Klaus HEEGER, Secretary-General of CESI.

“The theme of this event – gender equality in public employment – is more relevant than ever. It’s not only about equality: it’s about quality, justice, and modernisation,” stated Klaus Heeger. He also underlined how CESI, through the eQualPRO project, wants to convey a clear message: the European Union has done a lot for gender equality in the workplace, yet too many women still find themselves in disadvantaged situations. This is also true in public administrations, where pay gaps, pension disparities, and career inequalities remain.

In the first session, an overview of EU policies and directives on gender equality in the workplace was discussed, featuring Director Carlo CORAZZA, Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Rome.

The second session focused on gender equality in Italian public administration, covering wage and pension gaps, career progression, training and skills development, performance evaluation, recruitment procedures, the role of trade unions and social partners, and case studies on regional and local authority staff, as well as the education and research sector. Speakers included Sabrina Maria PELLERITO, Vice-President of CESI’s SOC Commission, Daniela ROSANO, Secretary-General of ANIEF, Francesco GAROFALO, Secretary-General of CSA, Chiara COZZETTO, Secretary-General of ANIEF / Deputy Secretary-General of Confedir, and Massimo BLASI, Confederation Secretary of CISAL.

The closing remarks were delivered by Marcello PACIFICO, President of the Italian ANIEF and of CESI Europe Academy. He highlighted that the Italian education sector is female-dominated but that, until 2018, education professionals earned €1,000 more than ministry workers, while now they earn less. “Our schools are staffed by women with high degrees who earn less and have limited career advancement. Many women in the South prefer precarious jobs near their families rather than relocating for permanent roles. Burn-out is another issue; it’s not even measured in public administration, though it is a criminal offence in precarious contracts. Concrete action is needed,” he concluded.

At the hearing, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger emphasised that even and especially in times of a policy agenda driven by considerations of economic competitiveness, an EU Quality Jobs Roadmap should make clear that the social and the economic should and must go together. Economic competitiveness achieved by social dumping will not be sustainable, he stressed, and added that a key objective remains to bring simplification and cutting red tape for business together with social goals for workers, so that both benefit.

As laid out in a recent resolution on competitiveness adopted by its Presidium, CESI believes that there is a clear need to enhance competitiveness through reform, de-bureaucratisation and enhanced use of AI and ICT, but also to reject it as a social deregulation and staff cutting agenda.

Moreover, according to CESI a focus on competitivessness must also include further support for performing public services, as a key enabler for favourable economic environments for businesses and firms. Public services remain the social and economic backbone for citizens and companies alike. Cutting on them and their personnel may save costs now but bring even more costs later. Both citizens and workers as well as companies need public services that have the capacity, staff and ressources to deliver on their needs.

Beyond this, CESI believes that further six central areas should rank high in a Quality Jobs Roadmap: 

1. Strengthening social dialogue and trade union pluralism

2. Ensuring fair wages and decent working conditions

3. Tackling precarious employment and ensuring secure jobs

4. Managing the digital and green transitions responsibly

5. Addressing youth employment and skills gaps of older workers

6. Combating violence and discrimination at work

As the consultation process on the new roadmap continues until July, CESI will publish a detailed position with key demands before the summer.

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On April 3, 2025, Salerno played host to a major ACTIVER event that marked a turning point in the conversation around the future of work and the strategic role of independent trade unions in Europe. Organised in the framework of CESI’s EU co-funded ACTIVER project, and hosted by FISMIC CONFSAL as part of its National Assembly, the event brought together key voices from across the labour movement, public institutions, and research sectors.

Themed “Active Labour Market Policies: Strategies for Employment Growth, Skills Development, and Social Inclusion”, the event focused on union-led solutions to the challenges posed by Europe’s twin digital and green transitions. With a packed room of delegates and experts, the panel provided an open space for critical exchange, strategic thinking, and bold ideas for how labour policies must evolve to keep pace with a rapidly changing world of work.

The event began with a video message from Klaus Heeger, Secretary General of CESI, who set the tone for the discussions by calling for a modern, inclusive, and forward-looking trade unionism. “At CESI, we are deeply committed to supporting a fair transition—one that protects workers while preparing them for the future. Our ACTIVER project promotes exactly this kind of strategy: one rooted in upskilling, inclusion, and meaningful social dialogue,” Heeger emphasised.

The high-level panel featured leading figures such as Roberto Di Maulo, Vice-President of CESI and Secretary General of FISMIC CONFSAL; Natale Forlani, President of INAPP; Claudio Negro, Analyst at the Itinerari Previdenziali Research Centre; and Angelo Raffaele Margiotta, Secretary General of CONFSAL. Each speaker explored the impact of structural economic shifts and the critical need for labour market policies that are both adaptive and protective.

“Protecting jobs today means shaping the labour policies of tomorrow,” remarked Roberto Di Maulo, highlighting FISMIC CONFSAL’s proactive approach in shaping Europe’s social model. “We are contributing with clear proposals, robust expertise, and a distinctly European perspective,” he added.

Central to the discussions was the ACTIVER project, which aims to strengthen the capacity of independent trade unions to participate in the design and implementation of active labour market measures. FISMIC CONFSAL, playing a leading role in the project, showcased its strategies for safeguarding jobs, facilitating lifelong learning, and promoting union pluralism—especially in light of the major structural changes underway in Italy’s manufacturing sector.

Throughout the day, participants reaffirmed the necessity of trade union pluralism as a cornerstone of democracy in the workplace. With over 500 active delegates and a solid presence in key industrial sectors, FISMIC CONFSAL continues to serve as a dynamic and independent voice for workers—not only in Italy but across Europe.

The ACTIVER event in Salerno powerfully illustrated that trade unions are not merely defending the past—they are shaping the future. As Europe navigates its transition towards a more digital and sustainable economy, the voices heard in Salerno sent a clear message: social justice, decent work, and inclusive policy-making must be the guiding principles of that journey.

As the war in Ukraine continues, over 4 million displaced Ukrainians remain in the European Union under temporary protection.

A new study, From Reception to Reconstruction, published today by the European Policy Centre (EPC), in collaboration with CESI and in the context of the EU-funded Activer project, sheds light on the evolving labour inclusion of these individuals—and the crucial role of multi-stakeholder networks, including trade unions.

The Policy Brief highlights the need for ‘dual intent’ integration strategies, which support both the long-term socio-economic inclusion of Ukrainians in the EU and their potential future return to help rebuild Ukraine. It focuses on Germany, Italy and Poland, where CESI affiliates and social partners have actively contributed to skills development, training agreements and job integration.

Among its key messages:

• Labour market participation varies across countries, with persistent challenges such as underemployment, qualification recognition, and gender-based barriers—as 65% of the displaced population are working-age women.
• While some national public employment services have adapted quickly, the most sustainable responses have come from networks of inclusion actors: civil society organisations, diaspora groups, local authorities and trade unions.
• CESI-affiliated unions in Italy and Poland have facilitated training agreements, labour rights awareness, and public sector integration, helping bridge the gap between short-term reception and long-term reconstruction.

The report warns, however, that shrinking financial support and limited coordination risk undermining these efforts, just as the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is under negotiation.

CESI welcomes the report's findings and fully supports its recommendations:

• Expand stakeholder platforms like the European Partnership for Integration
• Sustain flexible, long-term EU funding for labour market inclusion
• Recognise trade unions as essential actors in labour market access and reconstruction planning
• Strengthen recognition of skills and qualifications, with a focus on women

Especially the role of unions in co-designing and helping implementing active labour market policies is the leading thread of the Activer project.

🔗 Read the full study here

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In a discussion with the consortium members of the EU co-funded SEISMEC project on the development of worker-focused ICT and AI tools in firms and companies, CESI laid out key concerns and issues that need to be addressed to secure employees' trust and acceptance of new digital tools at work.

CESI stressed in particular: 

• ICT and AI bring automation and can boost productivity and growth - but also have the potential to bring job disruptions and job displacements. This necessitates an inclusive and comprehensive approach to re-skilling and up-skilling workers to new job roles and functions that ICT/AI create. It also necessitates strong social security nets for those workers that, for various reasons, cannot be retrained and will drop out of work.
• Where ICT/AI tools are deployed for workforce organisation - such as for the tracking of working time or for hiring practices, job evaluation and promotion exercises and/or dismissals - humans must stay in control of ICT/AI tools and be able to challenge them. Especially in these cases, ICT/IT tools should improve and augment human decision making, but not replace it.
• To alleviate employees' mistrust and increase their acceptance of new ICT/AI tools at work, ICT/AI tools must be fed with unbiased data and employers must communicate and explain proactively and in understandable ways why and how they are implemented. Transparency and accountability are key.
• Deployed ICT and AI tools must constantly and continuously be reviewed in audits to identify and correct any biases in algorithms. Clear protocols for addressing any issues found during audits is crucial, and there must be independent mechanisms for employees to raise concerns about the functioning ICT and AI tools at work.
• Information and consultation frameworks and social dialogue with social partner agreements provide relevant fora to discuss new ICT/AI tools and their development from the outset together with workers and their representatives, ideally on the basis of ex-ante impact assessments.

Dear members, partners and friends,

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The past weeks have laid bare the tension at the heart of Europe’s current challenge: how to secure competitiveness without sacrificing cohesion and how to build economic strength without undermining social stability.

Two key developments brought this into focus: First, the CESI Presidium adopted a resolution placing public investment, social dialogue, and fair labour market transitions at the core of Europe’s competitiveness agenda. Second, former U.S. President Donald Trump, on so-called "Liberation Day," announced sweeping tariffs—10% on all imports and 20% on EU goods—with a devastating 25% aimed at the automotive sector.

These tariffs are more than geopolitical posturing. They threaten jobs, price stability, and economic certainty on both sides of the Atlantic. For Europe, they are a wake-up call: we must strengthen our social and economic foundations if we are to compete globally without resorting to protectionism or deregulation.

CESI’s resolution affirms that:

· Public services and social investments are strategic assets, not budgetary burdens; they underpin productivity, workforce resilience, and innovation.

· Social dialogue must be central to policymaking, especially in managing green and digital transitions.

· Fair, active labour market policies are essential to turn disruption into opportunity, particularly for workers in vulnerable sectors like automotive, steel, and manufacturing.

Trump’s tariff move underscores this urgency. The blunt-force weapon of trade wars doesn’t support long-term growth. It erodes trust, raises inflation, and jeopardises entire industrial ecosystems. It hits SMEs first and hardest, and it makes workers pay the highest price.

Europe must not respond in kind. Instead, we must respond with strategy and build competitiveness on a foundation of stable institutions, smart public investment, skills development, and robust social dialogue.

This is how we make our economy work for people—not the other way around.

We will continue to push for a European model that is both competitive and fair. A model that resists the false choice between economic strength and social progress. A model that proves the real power of Europe lies not just in markets—but in the values we defend together.

Because in the face of disruption, our best response is not fear or retaliation—but unity, investment, and an untouched social contract.

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With kindest regards,
Klaus Heeger
Secretary General of CESI

On April 5, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger travelled to Riga to participate in a high-level event of the eQualPRO project with the support of 'LVPUFDA', the Latvian Union of State, Local Government, Company and Financial Employees.

The event, held in the Latvian Academy of Sciences, brought together policymakers, union members, and experts to discuss a timely and ambitious agenda: gender equality in public administrations in the digital age, and the future of union action in a transforming labour market.

In his keynote address, Klaus Heeger underlined CESI’s strong commitment to gender equality and inclusive digitalisation. He stressed that despite decades of EU legislative progress, structural discrimination persists—and risks being amplified by new technologies such as AI if left unchecked. Trade unions must lead the way in ensuring that workplace transformation benefits all, including women and underrepresented groups .

The eQualPRO project highlights the need for robust trade union engagement in promoting equal treatment, transparent use of digital tools, and gender-sensitive transition strategies. As Klaus Heeger put it: “Equality is not just a goal. It’s a promise - and a responsibility."

The day also marked an important moment for CESI's Latvian partner union: Andrejs Jirgensons was unanimously re-elected as President of LVPUFDA for a five-year mandate. CESI warmly congratulates President Jirgensons on his election and looks forward to deepening cooperation in the years to come.

The eQualPRO event in Riga is part of a wider pan-European series of hybrid conferences organised by CESI to reflect on gender equality at work and equip unions to respond to new digital-era challenges.

By focusing on past EU achievements, present obstacles, and future risks, CESI aims at helping workers and unions be agents of fairness and change.

Together with partners like LVPUFDA, CESI will continue to support trade union capacity, strengthen cross-border dialogue, and defend a vision of work that is fair, inclusive, and future-ready.

The announcement of Donald Trump, declaring April 2nd "Liberation Day" and introducing a sweeping 10% tariff on all imports—with 20% specifically targeting goods from the European Union—marks a deeply worrying moment for workers, businesses, and the global economy at large.

Even more troubling is the additional measure targeting Europe's vital automotive sector: a proposed 25% tariff on all foreign-made vehicles. For an industry that supports millions of direct and indirect jobs across Europe and drives innovation, research, and high-value exports, this move is nothing short of a direct blow.

These tariffs threaten to disrupt global trade, fuel inflation, and destabilise labour markets already under pressure from transitions in energy, digitalisation, and supply chain fragmentation.

Consumers on both sides of the Atlantic will pay the price. As companies face higher import costs, these will inevitably be passed on to end-users. For households already struggling with rising living costs, this could further squeeze budgets and reduce demand.

Europe’s export-driven industries are nowespecially vulnerable. Automotive, manufacturing, steel, chemicals, and agriculture sectors—all of which underpin regional economies—may face job cuts, production slowdowns, and lost market share.

Jobs and employment are at risk on both sides of the Atlantic. These tariffs will not only affect European exporters but also U.S. firms and workers who depend on international supply chains and global markets for inputs and sales.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be particularly hit. Unlike larger multinationals, SMEs lack the flexibility and resources to absorb rising costs, diversify supply chains, or navigate regulatory shifts—putting their survival, and their workers, in jeopardy.

The rise in uncertainty undermines confidence. Businesses need stability to invest and grow. Instead, this move encourages protectionist retaliation, delays in investment decisions, and rising precariousness among workers.

A trade war benefits no one. It fragments cooperation, worsens inequality, and risks plunging parts of the labour market into crisis.

In times of global interdependence, competitiveness should not be pursued by closing off markets or triggering tit-for-tat retaliation. It should be based on innovation, fairness, and smart, sustainable global trade frameworks.

The EU must now stay united and firm, but also pragmatic and forward-looking. A response must protect European workers, avoid escalation, and reinforce global rules-based trade.

At CESI, we stand with those workers most exposed, and we call for robust support measures, ongoing dialogue with social partners, and a commitment to defend both our social model and our economic interests.

Because when trade is used as a political weapon, it is workers who are caught in the crossfire.

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CESI underscores the crucial role of public servants in implementing and securing envisaged measures under the Strategies on the ground. Nurses and healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters, judicial staff, military personnel and civil protection agents – they all stand on the frontlines of Europe's response to crises.

The EU Internal Security Strategy – labelled ProtectEU – outlines a comprehensive vision for internal security in the EU, built on enhanced threat awareness, greater cross-border cooperation, and upgraded capabilities for law enforcement and judicial systems. The strategy rightly recognises the evolving threat landscape, including cybercrime, foreign information manipulation, radicalisation of youth, and the weaponisation of migration.

For CESI, the implementation of the both ProtectEU and the Preparedness Strategy underlines the need for sustainable investments in the resources and personnel of many public services, including in the nurses and healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters, judicial staff, military personnel and civil protection agents. The implementation of this strategy must go hand-in-hand with better working conditions, continuous training, and robust social dialogue with workers and their unions.

Paloma Repila of the Spanish SATSE trade union, President of CESI’s Expert Commission on Health Services, commented: "European crisis preparedness is impossible without nurses and a resilient, well-supported healthcare workforce. The lessons learned from the pandemic must translate into concrete policies supporting highly qualified healthcare personnel."

CESI also highlights the importance of resilience and trust as outlined in the strategies. Public sector workers are not only enforcers of security and preparedness but also providers of care and stability. Their commitment underpins citizens' trust in democratic institutions. CESI supports the strategy's call for greater cooperation between EU agencies and Member States in addressing security challenges that transcend national borders.

Equally, the strategies' emphasis on the protection of the most vulnerable – children, minorities, and the elderly – resonates with CESI’s core values of inclusion and social justice. However, the proposed legislative and operational upgrades will only succeed if workers on the ground feel safe, prepared and supported in their missions.

CESI especially welcomes the vision of a better coordination across policies and Member States, with mainstreaming of security and preparedness across all EU policies, including health, education, digital and social services. The linkage between the Internal Security Strategy and the Preparedness Union Strategy is essential and timely.

The past years have shown that security threats are no longer confined to traditional domains. The COVID-19 pandemic, climate-induced disasters, foreign cyberattacks, and hybrid threats require a cross-sectoral and "whole-of-society" approach – a point emphasised in both strategies.

CESI urges the EU institutions and Member States to involve public service workers and their representatives in the roll-out of both strategies from the outset. CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The hands-on experience of public services and their personnel is indispensable in designing effective preparedness and security measures. A secure Europe is not just built through new technologies and legislation – it is upheld every day by the commitment of public service workers.“

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As the European Union reorients itself toward competitiveness and industrial renewal, there is a growing risk that the social model that made Europe successful is treated as a burden rather than an asset. It would be a grave mistake.

Public services and social dialogue are not obstacles to growth—they are strategic tools for resilience and competitiveness.

Across Europe, industries are undergoing rapid transformation. Whether it’s decarbonisation in the steel sector, digitalisation in manufacturing, or automation in public administration, one truth remains: transitions only succeed when workers are supported, included, and empowered.

And yet, social investment and public services often remain the first victims of fiscal consolidation or misguided efficiency drives. The latest EU Competitiveness Communication speaks of productivity and innovation—but rarely mentions people.

We need a reset of this thinking.

OECD research confirms that countries with strong systems of social dialogue and robust public institutions tend to recover faster from crises, experience lower inequality, and display greater economic resilience in the face of external shocks.

A 2023 OECD report showed that countries with high union density and institutionalised dialogue mechanisms had more effective short-time work systems and stronger labour market rebounds post-COVID.

Another study linked efficient public administration to higher firm-level productivity, especially among SMEs. When citizens trust institutions, when rules are predictable, and when services function, businesses perform better.

It’s not just a matter of fairness—it’s a matter of performance.

The current US pathway of cost-cutting under the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) has led to closures of vital public services, mass layoffs, and increased social instability.

Cuts and deregulation have hollowed out institutional capacity, with long-term effects on the efficiency of public services, and very likely detrimental consequences for business environments that rely on them.

Europe must not go down the same path.

The EU should instead double down on its own strengths:

• A well-trained, protected, and respected workforce,
• Strong social partners involved in transition planning,
• And public services that enable—not hinder—industrial transformation.

What we need now:

1. Social dialogue must be institutionalised at all levels of EU governance—not just consulted as an afterthought, but embedded as a principle of good policymaking.
2. EU economic governance must allow room for social investment. The fiscal rules must support—not restrict—the funding of education, healthcare, vocational training, and worker upskilling. Expenditures in these areas are not mere social costs, they are very necessary investments that will pay off economically too.
3. Public services must be seen as drivers of competitiveness, not budgetary liabilities. They are enablers of workforce productivity, innovation, and societal stability.
4. Active Labour Market Policies must be scaled up. Projects like CESI’s Activer show that well-designed upskilling, career support, and just transition pathways are vital to turn disruption into opportunity.

We must end a misguided debate between worker participation, performing public services and economic strength. The three go hand in hand.

Europe’s competitiveness in the next decade will not come from race-to-the-bottom deregulation. It will come from investing in what works: people, partnerships, and public systems that empower.

Social dialogue and public services are not nostalgic holdovers from another era. They are Europe’s advantage in an uncertain world.

It’s time we recognise that—and act accordingly.

CESI calls to:

1. ensure sufficient funding for military security and autonomy in Europe, as a basis for economic development, growth and competitiveness;
2. enhance competitiveness through reform, de-bureaucratisation and enhanced use of AI and ICT but reject it as a social deregulation and staff cutting agenda, and welcomes the notion of the Draghi Report that promoting competitiveness should not lead to using wage repression to lower relative costs;
3. reform EU public procurement rules to

·        prioritise EU-made goods and services, supporting European industry;

·        better enable public administrations to run faster and simpler public procurement procedures; which must include clear EU level rules for binding social criteria for fair work in tender procedures;

4. fully integrate European trade union and social partner umbrella organisations into EU economic governance and European Semester consultation mechanisms, ensuring that social dialogue co-shapes social, economic and competitiveness-related policies, involving the constructive voice and experiences of workforces;
5. implement a dialogue with trade unions and social partners to prioritise:

·        an alignment of education and training systems with digital and green transition needs that will determine future needed knowledge, skills and AI- and ICT-related competences in labour markets based on equal opportunities and access;

·        lifelong learning and vocational upskilling, including in public services;

6. on the EU and Member States to recognise well-equipped public services as essential infrastructure are vital to support thriving business environments; urging European policymakers to stress that investments especially in education, professional training, preventive healthcare and public employment services are central as preconditions for employable, skilled, healthy and resilient workforces and thus sustainable economic growth;
7. bring forward public administration modernisation, including though an increased use of ICT and AI, streamlining processes including in the area of digitalisation to increase efficiency – but keeping personalised services on-site as a core component of an available and accessible public sector and ensuring that AI is deployed in socially balanced manners and boost productivity without replacing workers.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “OECD data confirms that countries with strong public services and social dialogue outperform others in long-term economic growth and resilience. Countries with strong social partnerships recover faster from economic shocks and recessions, and regions with higher public investment in infrastructure, digitalisation, and workforce training attract more private-sector investment and maintain long-term growth. We must be vigilant that the EU’s competitiveness agenda is implemented on the basis of these considerations.”

“In December 2022, the EU took a decisive step towards addressing the long-term care crisis, a critical issue that will determine the quality of life of a growing part of its population. It adopted the Council recommendation on long-term care, based on the Commission’s Communication for a European Care Strategy.

The recommendation urges Member States to enhance the affordability, social protection, accessibility and quality of long-term care services for all people who need it. Additionally, it emphasises the importance of supporting informal carers, improving working conditions of professional carers, including live-in care workers and domestic workers, as well as addressing the shortage of the long-term care workforce.

Since then, all Member States presented national reports on their proposals for the implementation of the recommendation in September 2024, demonstrating their continued support for the goals adopted by the Council.

However, the mission letters of the new European Commission do not fully reflect this ambition. Long-term care is mentioned only from the perspective of workforce shortages – a critical dimension, but just one aspect of a much more multifaceted issue. Ms Mînzatu has called for a European Care Deal during her confirmation hearing, and we want to support this wider ambition.

It remains crucial to increase the availability and affordability of rights-based, person-centred, quality care, particularly home care and community-based care, especially in the light of demographic developments and the transition away from institutional care. The need for care and support should be resolutely acknowledged as a social responsibility, rather than a private one, as it impacts society as whole, and both influences and is influenced by factors such as gender, employment, exposure to physical and mental health risks, poverty and social exclusion and the environment. Therefore, the provision of long-term care, throughout a person’s life, should be established as a pillar of social protection in all Member States.

Informal carers - among which millions are women - should be identified, recognised and supported in all Member States, to mitigate the detrimental impact of care responsibilities on their social inclusion, economic situation, health and well-being. Their unpaid and underappreciated labour significantly affects workforce participation, contributing to gender gaps, limited access to social protection, reduced earnings contributing to old-age poverty.

As civil society organisations and trade unions representing people with disabilities, those supported by care services and their families, informal carers, care workers, cooperatives, and service providers for care and services for persons with disabilities within the social economy, we have supported the European Care Strategy since its inception. We now call on the new European Commission to incorporate all ambitions of the Care Strategy into its planning for the current mandate:

• Strengthen and support health promotion and prevention to reduce the increase of care needs.
• Assist Member States in developing rights-based, person-centred long-term care services across all territories through the European Semester, European funding and increased flexibility in public spending rules.
• Support the development of high-quality support services and measures for informal carers, tailored to their needs. Legislation should improve the rights to care leave and access to social protection. Qualitative tailor-made support and the provision of support services such as day-care and respite care should be provided. This should lead to improving informal carer’s wellbeing, labour market participation, as well as reducing negative social and health impact of caring.
• Support care service providers in delivering rights-based high-quality, accessible, and affordable care,while enabling them and household employers to hire and retain qualified workers.
• Revise the Directives on Public Procurement to ensure that price alone is not decisive, but prioritises value over cost to truly promote quality, social, and environmental considerations
• Investigate and prevent the causes of abuse and neglect in long-term care settings.
• In continuation of Executive Vice-President Mînzatu’s mission to address workforce shortages, improve working conditions, by promoting fair wages, skills recognition, and social dialogue in the care sector, improving workers’ mental health, and fully including vulnerable groups of workers, including domestic workers and migrant workers specifically.
• Up-skilling and re-skilling of the long-term care workforce for the provision of person-centred care services. Initiatives such as the partnership of skills in long-term care need to be strengthened
• Address undeclared work and exploitation in care by strengthening oversight and access to remedy, promoting formal employment, including through work permit pathways that promote decent work, and ensuring adequate social protection.
• Tackle financial speculation in the long-term care sector where profit-oriented companies benefiting from large investments and often public funding reduce quality to extract undue profit, squeezing out service providers, who genuinely try to provide person-centred, quality care. These include public providers, service providers from the social economy, and care cooperatives.
• Encourage Member States to support high quality care by recognising the importance of different care and support services, valuing the interest of viable not-for-profit alongside for-profit providers.

We reiterate our proposal for a European Long-Term Care Platform as part of the revised Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights to give this policy a tangible framework of monitoring and transparency, with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations. The Platform should have an annual meeting similar to the Long-Term Care Forum organised on 12 November 2024 by the Commission.

With this in mind, we stand ready to support the new European Commission in its efforts to meet the needs of over 30 million people in Europe requiring long-term care due to age, disability, or illness, as well as their employees, service providers and families.

List of Signatories

AGE Platform Europe
Alzheimer Europe
Autism-Europe
Caritas Europa
CECOP – European confederation of industrial and service cooperatives
CESI – European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions
COFACE Families Europe
EAPN – European Anti-Poverty Network
EFFAT – European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism Sectors
EFFE – European Federation for Family Employment & Home Care
Eurocarers
Eurodiaconia
EuroHealthNet
European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD)
European Disability Forum
European Federation for Services to Individuals
Make Mothers Matter
Mental Health Europe
PICUM – Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
UNI Europa Global Union

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As repeatedly demanded at CESI’s European Defence Round-Tables (EDRT) during the last years, the White Paper finally presents a clear vision and action plan to put an end to the era of “over-complacency” and “underinvestment” in European defence and could mark the beginning of “a new international order”, as European Commission President von der Leyen put it in a recent address in Copenhagen on the future of the European Defence Union.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The EU appears to take a decisive stance on defence. We have long advocated this, since our first European Defence Round-Table (EDRT) several years ago. With the current geopolitical landscape no longer conducive to peace and limited funding options straining national budgets, strategic and prudent public military spending is crucial.”

Sebastian Käding, member of the German Armed Forces Association (DBwV) and President of CESI’s Expert Commission on 'Security and Defence', noted: “This is a significant step to strengthen European defence and respond to current threats. The goal of improving European defence readiness through massive investment is in line with our call for an intensified security and defence policy. Emphasising cooperation with partners and further support for Ukraine are positive approaches that promote a holistic approach to security. The proposed financial instruments such as the ‘Security Actions for Europe (SAFE)’ can be a solid basis to provide resources that could also improve the framework conditions for military personnel.

CESI stresses however that some limitations remain in the White Paper, from a trade union perspective: Neither does it sufficiently lays out necessary accountability and oversight structures, nor does it include possible measures for consultation and citizen engagement as part of decision making in the defence architecture and governance. In particular, it does not explicitly address social framework conditions for military and civilian personnel acting within the European Defence Union. At the same time, it is a necessary element to attract and retain qualified personnel through adequate working conditions in the sector.

To make the white paper more effective, and for it to unfold as a real third transition underway, after the green and the digital, CESI proposes that:

1. The White Paper should contain explicit measures to improve the social framework conditions for personnel, including related to better working conditions, career opportunities and work-life balance. This could be implemented as part of targeted support programmes such as SAFE.
2. Civil defence should be considered an integral part of a European defence strategy. This requires investment in infrastructure, training and coordination mechanisms, for example through a separate chapter in the White Paper.
3. Stakeholders such as CESI and its Expert Commission ‘Security and Defence’ should be actively involved in the further development of the White Paper to ensure that the interests of all status groups, both civilian and military personnel, are taken into account.’

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• Background information

Recent geopolitical developments underline the urgency of bolstering European defence. At the 2025 Munich Security Conference, experts reiterated that for the EU to prevent war, it must be prepared for war. As part of ongoing international negotiations, Ukraine recently agreed to a 30-day ceasefire without firm security guarantees, highlighting the need for Europe to play a more active role in shaping security discussions.

Meanwhile, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, established in January 2025, has collapsed, leading to renewed hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has stressed that some EU member states may struggle to pool resources effectively for enhanced defence capabilities, citizen engagement, and oversight. Reflecting these concerns, the European Parliament recently adopted a resolution calling for a €500 billion investment in European defence over the next decade, institutional reforms, and a shift from unanimity to qualified majority voting to accelerate crisis responses.

The European Commission's new White Paper and the accompanying ReARM Europe Plan seek to address some of these challenges, with SAFE proposing €150 billion in loans to support defence investments. However, these initiatives do not fully align with all of the European Parliament's recommendations, particularly regarding common procurement, planning, and deployment of military capabilities.

As the EU Summit on March 20-21 approaches, leaders will deliberate on the next steps. The shift towards a more security-oriented EU strategy underscores the importance of maintaining democratic accountability and ensuring that defence investments support both security objectives and social cohesion.

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Towards a more inclusive EU: The role of tradeunions in affordable housing, gender equality, and tackling precarious work

A hybrid (online & in Brussels) lunch time CESI@noon

Thursday, April 24th 2024, 12:00-14:30

light lunch included

in English language

Registration here

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In times of increasing housing prices, and thus housing scarcity, those facing homelessness or housing difficulties are often either unemployed or in precarious, low-wage employment. Within this group, women and single mothers make up a considerable share.

Strong European Union policies should promote more inclusive and gender-focused regulations and incentives, including for instance:

• equal pay for equal work and higher wages in low-paid, female-dominated sectors such as care;
• more affordable and available childcare, which enables in particular also single mothers to continue to pursue their career and remain financially independent;
• stronger tenant protections and other assistance programmes, to directly help precarious groups like single mothers with low revenues with their housing.

Housing accessibility in the EU is a growing challenge, marked by rising prices and a shortage of affordable housing. Between 2010 and 2022, rents increased by 19% and housing prices by 47%, outpacing income growth. In 2022, 10% of EU residents faced excessive housing costs, with a higher impact on those at risk of poverty^[1]. Additionally, around 900,000 people are homeless. Ensuring affordable and decent housing is essential for the economic development and social cohesion in the EU – and not least for improving women’s rights.

CESI invites you to a youth-led debate on how the EU can guarantee more accessible and affordable housing for everyone, especially women and single mothers. In the context of its EU-cofunded eQualPRO project, CESI proposes an in-depth debate on what policy solutions could be made available at EU level to make housing more affordable, particularly for affected (young) women.

The panel will address questions including:

1. How will young people, women, single mothers and other vulnerable groups be helped by addressing the housing crisis at EU level?
2. What policy recommendations and legislative proposals could the EU's first Commissioner for Energy and Housing introduce to address gaps in housing opportunities for vulnerable groups, particularly women and single mothers?
3. How can the need for more affordable housing be balanced with the objectives of the EU Green Deal, addressing energy poverty, and promoting social investments?
4. What are the objectives of the newly formed European Parliament Intergroup on ‘Housing’?

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Provisional agenda

#SocialEurope #EU2030 #eQualPRO

12:00     Welcome and light lunch

12:30     Welcome address & introductions

Stefan Moser, Housing Task Force of the Commissioner for Energy and Housing (tbc)

Matthäus Fandrejewski, dbb Jugend and CESI Youth Representative

12:40     Marit Maij, member of the European Parliament, Greens/PvdA

12:50     Alice Pitinni, Research Director at Housing Europe

13:00     Marie Hyland, Eurofound

13:10     Ruth Paserman, European Commission

13:20     Discussions with participants

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[1] https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/news/liege-declaration-towards-affordable-decent-and-sustainable-housing-for-all/consulted February 25th 2025

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CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Currently, EU rules allow for public tendering based merely on the lowest price, which puts businesses that apply collective agreements at a competitive disadvantage – and thus even incentivises them to abolish respect for collective agreement in order to stand a chance in public tendering vis-à-vis companies that engage in social dumping. It therefore remains essential that revised public procurement rules are a lever for social and labour rights of workers and not an enabler for a race to the bottom of social dumping – to ensure that increased competitiveness is not achieved through slashed wages and social and labour rights.”

In this vein, CESI calls on the European Commission to table proposals for revised EU public procurement rules which:

1. Incorporate mandatory social criteria:

Revised directives must require the inclusion of mandatory social criteria in procurement tender procedures. Bidders should be required to be assessed not only on price and technical capacity but also on compliance with EU, national and sectoral labour laws, the observance of collective bargaining agreements, and adherence to minimum wages and safe and healthy working conditions. This approach would effectively counter a race to the bottom of social and labour standards through public procurement.

2. Provide legal clarity for social criteria:

The current EU public procurement rules provide uncertainty and ambiguity about the incorporation of social conditionalities in public tender procedures. Despite a plethora of guidance material from the side of the European Commission, many authorities in charge of issuing call for tenders are unsure on how to create legally soundproof tender documents with social conditionalities. In the end, many refrain from it and just play safe by opting for tender procedures on the basis of lowest bidders. With clear and simple rules on social conditionalities to be included in tenders (notably, a respect for a collective agreements), significant levels of bureaucracy and red tape could be cut, while at the same time numerous workers across Europe currently abused would benefit from better employment and working conditions. A revision of the public procurement directives could be a landmark example on how to reconcile cutting red tape with improved social justice.

3. Involve trade unions and worker representatives early on:

Revised public procurement directives should make clear that trade unions and worker representatives in public authorities must be integrated in procurement processes at an early stage. They should have a monitoring role in the awarding process to ensure that labour standards are upheld from the outset. Tender documents should be subject to approval by representative employee participation bodies. This would safeguard against adverse impacts on workers and strengthen accountability, too.

4. Protect job security and transition provisions:

Revised public procurement directives should encourage protecting workers in the event of a transfer between service providers during the execution of services under a publicly awarded contract. Such protection relates most notably to the preservation of existing terms and conditions, the recognition of service length, and consultation practices with trade unions. This would enhance job security and predictability for affected workers. It would counter the instability which is often associated with frequent re-tendering.

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CESI welcomes the European Commission’s new Roadmap for Women’s Rights, presented on March 7 ahead of this year’s annual International Women’s Day. CESI commends the European Commission for its reinforced commitment to strengthening gender equality as a bedrock of democracy, competitiveness and social justice in Europe and calls to follow up on this with concrete measures.

Reflecting on the Commission’s Communication and its accompanying Declaration of Principles, CESI appreciates the Roadmap’s focus on multiple essential pillars and objectives related to women’s rights, among them in particular on equal pay and economic empowerment, a fair distribution of care responsibilities, access to leadership positions, and quality education and digital inclusion. These areas mirror CESI’s core priorities presented in its topical resolution towards the European Commission earlier this year, which underscored the need for concrete and enforceable measures beyond declarative commitments.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The European Commission’s new Roadmap for Women’s Rights is a step forward for gender equality in Europe. We particularly welcome its comprehensive approach, from combating violence against women to tackling the persistent pay gap and the undervaluation of care work. This framework responds to urgent needs that CESI’s members have identified across Europe too. To ensure real, lasting change, Europe must now back its commitments with concrete legislative, financial, and policy tools – one-off statements will not suffice.”

In line with its previously stated policy priorities and building on the Commission’s proposed principles to protect women’s health, advance equal pay, bolster work-life balance and reinforce institutional mechanisms for mainstreaming gender equality, CESI advocates an expanded focus and concrete further measures on:

1. eliminating violence and harassment in the workplace, including sexual harassment, by reinforcing workplace prevention frameworks and ensuring victim protection.
2. closing the gender pay and pension gaps through robust enforcement of the EU pay transparency directive and enhanced social dialogue at the national and sectoral levels.
3. breaking glass ceilings by extending gender-balance measures beyond large stock-listed companies to encompass public administrations and senior management in all sectors.
4. recognising and distributing care responsibilities more fairly, with improved wages and working conditions in care professions, stronger measures for equal-sharing of family leaves and increased investments in accessible, high-quality childcare and long-term care.
5. promoting quality education and digital inclusion, including initiatives to increase female participation in STEM fields and combat algorithmic discrimination in recruitment processes.

CESI underscores that the success of the Roadmap will depend on continued collaboration between the European institutions, Member States, social partners and civil society. Gender budgeting, the effective use of European funds, and stronger support for trade unions and social dialogue at both EU and national levels will be crucial to translate principles into action.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger concluded: “By embracing the European Commission’s Roadmap for Women’s Rights, Europe can take an ambitious leap toward a future in which women are more empowered – economically, socially and politically. CESI stands ready to work with the EU institutions and Member States to ensure that the commitments laid out in the Roadmap become concrete realities in workplaces and societies across Europe.”

Building on the findings of CESI's recently published policy brief on the crucial role of public services in times of crisis, this article presents key conclusions and actionable recommendations to reinforce their resilience.

As Europe faces an era of unprecedented crises—from pandemics to climate disasters and economic instability—its public services remain at the frontline of response. Yet, underfunding, workforce shortages, and rigid fiscal constraints have left these essential sectors struggling to meet growing societal needs. The SynCrisis campaign, spearheaded by the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), calls for urgent investment in public services to build resilience, protect workers, and ensure fair access to quality healthcare, education, and social support.

The challenge: Public services under pressure

Public services are the backbone of European societies, yet years of austerity, privatisation, and fiscal restraints have stretched them thin. The SynCrisis campaign highlights key challenges:

• Underfunding & fiscal constraints: Years of budget cuts have led to understaffed hospitals, overwhelmed education systems, and outdated infrastructure.
• Labour shortages & precarious employment: Healthcare and education sectors suffer from staff burnout, low wages, and overreliance on temporary contracts, making them less attractive to younger workers.
• Inequalities & social gaps: Countries with weaker public systems experience longer recovery times and deeper inequalities during crises.
• Macroeconomic & climate challenges: Inflation, refugee integration, and the accelerating effects of climate change place further strain on public services.

The call to action: A new model for social investment

The SynCrisis campaign urges EU policymakers, national governments, and trade unions to rethink public service funding through a social investment approach. Instead of short-term budget cuts, this approach prioritises preventative and strategic investments that enhance resilience and long-term economic growth. Key recommendations include:

1. Increase funding for public services

• Ensure that public investment in healthcare, education, and social care aligns with Europe’s long-term social and economic needs.
• Establish a specific policy window for public sector investment in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

2. Modernise infrastructure & digital readiness

• Upgrade public services with digital tools and sustainable infrastructure to withstand future crises.
• Ensure equal access to digital education and telehealth services across all regions.

3. Support & retain public sector workers

• Provide fair wages, manageable workloads, mental health support, and permanent contracts to prevent staff burnout and high turnover.
• Attract young professionals to public service careers by ensuring competitive employment conditions.

4. Adapt public services for the green & digital transitions

• Invest in education systems that prepare future generations for the green and digital economy.
• Expand lifelong learning opportunities for public sector employees to keep pace with evolving challenges.

5. Ensure fiscal flexibility for sustainable social investment

• Integrate social impact assessments into EU fiscal frameworks, ensuring that spending on public services is recognised as an investment rather than a cost.

A stronger Europe starts with stronger public services

Public services are the lifelines of European societies, ensuring health, education, and economic stability for millions. The SynCrisis campaign underscores that investing in these services is not just a social necessity but an economic imperative. Well-funded, well-staffed, and well-equipped public services foster social cohesion, rebuild trust in institutions, and future-proof Europe against new crises.

It is time for policymakers to act. Join CESI’s SynCrisis campaign and advocate for stronger, more resilient public services that can stand the test of time.

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Join CESI’s SynCrisis campaign by sharing our materials and advocating for stronger public services:
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Campaign video: https://bit.ly/4bBiJv6 | Full report: https://bit.ly/4kFrQiv | Infographics: https://bit.ly/41AWroM

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#SynCrisis | #StrongerPublicServices | #CESI

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CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger participated in the European Employment and Social Rights Forum 2025, Europe’s largest event on employment and social affairs, which took place on March 5-6 in Brussels.

Under the heading “Skills for a Competitive Europe”, the conference aimed at proposing possible solutions to the key problems identified in the communication a “Union of Skills”, adopted the same day: skills shortages and gaps, slow adaptation to technological and green transitions,and a fragmented governance and skills intelligence.

The communication outlines different steps and initiative to address declining literacy, numeracy, and digital skills, to promote STEM education, to improve the attractiveness and support for teaching careers, to expand digital learning and cybersecurity training, and finally to render vocational education more attractive.

Especially in view of the enormous disruptions of labour market in times of transitions, a focus is put on skills rather than just formal qualifications, to ensure that workers can more easily find new new jobs.

To address critical labour shortage, the Commission seeks for instance to have short-term certifications recognized across the EU, to ensure that workers have the expertise needed for emerging industries, to provide sector-specific training in AI, cybersecurity, and clean energy, to improve skills mobility across the EU, and to develop “European Universities Alliances”.

As investments remain key to sustaining these efforts, the Commission proposes to mobilize public and private financing for education and training, to create incentives for companies to encourage greater employer investment in workforce development, and to enhance data collection and forecasting to better match skills supply with labor market needs.

Klaus Heeger said: “This ambitious package aims at building a future-ready workforce and at strengthening European competitiveness. If implemented at large scale, upskilling and reskilling policies could play a major role in safeguarding our competitiveness, in implementing green and digital transitions, and in saving employment. The proposals must also be appreciated as they coincide with long-standing demands of our teachers, education and VET providers. What pleases me the most are two things: First, a focus is laid on the importance of the teaching profession by improving the attractiveness and support for teaching careers. Second, civic education is mentioned as a key pillar of lifelong learning, democratic resilience, and social inclusion. Our teachers repeatedly warned against Europe’s citizens becoming mere instruments of economic systems and new technologies. We must be equipped with critical thinking skills, media literacy, and a strong understanding of democratic values to keep our compass in the modern world.”

On this year’s European Day for a Work-Free Sunday, the Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance reaffirm a necessary commitment to promoting a common weekly day of rest for workers across Europe. Even in times of a competitiveness-based narrative in EU policy making, a synchronised work-free Sunday remains essential for the well-being of individuals and their families – and thereby for the society and the economy as a whole, too.

As digitalisation and telework continue to reshape the world of work, maintaining clear boundaries between professional and private life has never been more crucial. The European Sunday Alliance therefore welcomes the European Commission’s efforts to advance a new EU directive on a right to disconnect and fair telework and hopes for a swift publication of a legislative proposal. This would represent a significant step towards securing healthier working conditions, preventing burnout, and ensuring that all workers can truly switch off from professional obligations outside agreed working hours.

In particular, a common day of disconnection – effectively on Sundays – would help counteract growing trends of fragmentation in working hours. It would allow individuals to rest in sync with their families and communities, fostering social cohesion, voluntary engagement, and cultural and faith-related activities. Common resting time would also step up the quality of resting time (currently often spent by workers alone), which would in the end contribute to higher productivity, creativity, and overall job satisfaction – and thereby benefit both workers and businesses alike.

The Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance strongly urge the European Commission to include specific references to a right to disconnect on weekends in its forthcoming legislative proposal for a directive on a right to disconnect and fair telework. Ensuring that Sunday remains protected from work wherever possible will serve as a vital safeguard for workers’ well-being while strengthening the social fabric of our communities.

On today’s annual European Day for a Work-Free Sunday, the Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance call upon policymakers, employers, and workers to join in recognising and defending the value of a common day of rest – also and especially in times of a shift in policy-making agenda towards economic competitiveness

The European Sunday Alliance is a broad network of more than 100 national Sunday Alliances, trade unions, employers’ organisations, civil society organisations, churches and religious communities committed to raise awareness of the unique value of synchronised free time for our European societies.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen couldn’t have been blunter. In her letter to the special European Council she wrote: “A new era is upon us. Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us have seen in our adult lifetime”.

And in her press statement, she went even further: “We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times. I do not need to describe the grave nature of the threats that we face (. . .) The real question in front of us is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates. And whether Europe is ready and able to act with the speed and the ambition that is needed.”

Given the urgency, the proposed ReArm Europe package of the European Commission —a €800 billion plan to bolster Europe's defence capabilities — was endorsed by the special European Council.  

The ReArm Europe plan has five pillars:

1.    €150 billion EU financial instrument providing loans for defence investment;

2.    the release of public funds by activating national escape clauses;

3.    increased defence-related EU budget investments;

4.    the European Investment Bank’s role via its Security and Defence Action Plan;

5.    mobilizing private capital for defence industries.

As established by CESI´s last European Defence Round-Table (EDRT), these steps are long due. An urgent paradigm shift in European defence strategies is needed, which includes societal preparedness and the integration of both military and civilian defence mechanisms.​ The EDRT underscored thatEurope faces unprecedented challenges necessitating a holistic approach to security. Defence must extend beyond military capabilities to encompass societal resilience.

However, this shall not come to a ‘social price’. Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General, said: “As the EU signs a renewed Pact for Social Dialogue, the quality of jobsroadmap and the communication on the Union of Skills, the Industrial Action Plan for the European Automotive Sector, after presenting the Omnibus and the Clean Industrial Deal proposals, it is clear that aligning these objectives with deterrenceand defence will be challenging. It is important to achieve deterrence and competitiveness without compromising on social and labour standards. Everything is nothing without security. But defence spending should not come at the cost of economic security and social stability.”

As the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions representing workers in the formal care sector – including long-term care, nursing, and early childhood education and care – CESI recognises that collective strength is rooted not least in gender equality.

CESI has long championed the need for enhanced gender balance in both the formal and informal care sectors. Domestic care responsibilities, whether for children or elderly family members, must not fall disproportionately on women. True progress lies in sharing these vital tasks equally between male and female partners. This requires robust work-life balance solutions such as an enhanced non-transferable parental leave for fathers and a significant expansion of high-quality, accessible, and affordable public care services in the Member States.

CESI stresses that such measures are not just policies, but essential steps towards a fairer society.

Synnöve Nüchter, designated President of CESI’s statutory Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, stated on this year’s Equal Care Day: “Achieving genuine gender equality means creating an environment where care responsibilities are shared, ensuring that both women and men can pursue their careers without being burdened by outdated societal norms. Care should not be a burden for one, but a shared commitment for all.“

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger added: “Beyond policies and regulations, it also remains imperative that we foster exchanges of good practices to dismantle gender stereotypes that promote gender diversity within female-dominated sectoral workforces, such as in care. We need to live and experience equality in everyday life to change outdated mindsets.”

CESI stands united with all those advocating for equal care responsibilities and calls on governments, employers and social partners across Europe to work together in implementing necessary reforms for the benefit of individuals, their families and society as a whole.

As part of CESI’s EU co-funded SynCrisis project, the event focused on strengthening public services for crisis response, highlighting the need for reforms, investment in military resources and personnel, and enhanced EU cooperation in security matters.

The European continent faces unprecedented challenges that test the very fabric of its values of democracy, security and unity. Over the past three years, the global security landscape has undergone profound transformations. Russia’s war on Ukraine, now lasting three years, threatens Europe’s eastern borders. The Middle East remains fraught with unresolved conflicts, and the recent return of Donald Trump to the White House shatters the international rules-based order. In response to these multifaceted challenges, the European Union’s new political leadership has placed defence at the forefront of its agenda.

In this context, the EDRT addressed the needs for a wartime mindset, societal preparedness, and a paradigm shift in security. Discussions warned against the shrinking of liberal democracy and Europe’s military reliance on the U.S. Participants highlighted the need for further civil-military cooperation, resilience against hybrid threats, increased defence spending and troop readiness. They emphasised the importance of industry surveys, strengthened defence capabilities, enhanced civil preparedness, and improved communication of Member States and the EU with citizens.

Sebastian Käding, Assessor for Civilian Employees at the German Armed Forces Association (DBwV) and newly elected President of CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Defence,’ shared his expectations for the upcoming EU White Paper on European Defence. He emphasised the evolving security landscape, the needs to address geopolitical tensions, hybrid threats, cyberattacks and terrorism, while strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy. He called for improved interoperability, standardised equipment, command structures and joint military exercises, highlighting the importance of personnel and service attractiveness through modern equipment, fair pay, career development and work-life balance.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger commented: “Europe’s security requires a paradigm shift: The world has changed, and Europe must change with it. Current defence policies must be rethought – focusing not just on military spending but on a holistic approach to security, factoring in social policies which are heavily impacting the functioning of our democracies. Defence spending should be integrating hybrid threat resilience and technological innovation while not underestimating the importance of social policies to create inclusive societies which address inequalities.”

In a videos message, MEP Michael Gahler (Germany) stressed the likelihood of war returning to European Union soil and called for much-needed efforts to step us EU deterrence amid current threats. It is time to switch to a wartime mindset, he said.

Professor Mary Kaldor, Emeritus Professor of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict Research Program at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), referred to the threat of Russia to start “new wars” or to stay engaged in “forever wars” even in the case of a potential ceasefire. She advocated for a reassessment of the current EU priorities to include an approach to the most vulnerable and at risk.

Maria Marisiute, Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre (EPC), highlighted the need to engage with and prepare civil society organisations and EU citizens at large on EU’s deterrence. Echoing the so-called Niinistö report on preparedness, she referred to the ‘whole of government’ and ‘whole of society’ approach as instrumental to achieving EU resilience in the new geopolitical order.

Fabian Zuleeg, CEO of the EPC, who in his latest commentary analysed the potential consequences of a ceasefire in Ukraine imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, warned against the disastrous consequences of an unjust agreement, the attacks of Donald Trump against the EU and liberal democracies overall, and the need to increase EU defence efforts in case of an unjust ‘Trump-imposed’ ceasefire in Ukraine.

In a new position on an EU social partner consultation on a Union of Skills, CESI has called on the EU to issue concrete measures to improve professional training, recognition of qualifications and fair transitions for workers in the EU.

In the consultation contribution, CESI welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to develop an EU Union of Skills framework and demands specific measures to improve professional training, recognition of qualifications across Member States and socially fair transitions for workers in the EU.

On a Union of Skills, CESI emphasises in particular:

• on skills mismatches and lifelong learning, that many young people face difficulties in entering the job market and many older employees experience difficulties with adapting to rapidly changing job requirements due to automation, digitalisation, and green transitions. Many workers lack access to continuous training opportunities on the job. Employers struggle to find workers with the right skills, leading to labour shortages in key sectors, including the public sector employees. In CESI’s view, it is imperative that sufficient investments are executed in the area of education, skills and (further) training to ensure that the educational and training systems are well staffed, equipped and inclusive for all – children/pupils/students and adult lifelong learners alike. To this end, funding is centrally important, and skills development policies must be more worker-centred, with guaranteed access to lifelong learning, adapted VET schemes and publicly funded further training-on-the-job as part of yearly human resources strategies.
• on recognition of qualifications, that employees often still face barriers in having their skills and qualifications recognised across EU Member States, limiting their career progression and mobility – while many employers struggle with complex administrative procedures when hiring skilled workers from other regions. Within the EU, the recognition of professional qualifications plays a crucial role in facilitating labour mobility, and it must be further enhanced. The existing Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications aims to ensure that individuals holding qualifications from a Member State can have them recognised in another. However, the directive is in many respects outdated and incomplete and should be revisited and updated in light of the current changes on European labour markets. By further streamlining procedures for the recognition of qualifications obtained in different EU countries, barriers to labour mobility could be reduced, and professionals could more easily seek employment opportunities in other Member States.The EU already fosters cooperation among national authorities and professional organisations to maintain high standards of education and training, ensuring that recognised qualifications meet common quality criteria. In this context, the Union of Skills should further contribute to creating a more harmonised EU framework for skills certification, ensuring that qualifications are easily transferable.
• on inclusive and just green and digital transitions, that many employees in traditional industries fear job losses due to automation and climate policies while many employers need support in transitioning their workforce towards new skills, to avoid facing massive layoffs. Therefore, targeted Just Transition measures need to be implemented with strong social dialogue, based on retraining programmes and financial support for workers adversely affected by industrial changes.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We urge the European Commission to lay out a vision that goes beyond declarative commitments and that paves the way for concrete legislative, financial, and policy measures to establish a useful Union of Skills. CESI stands ready to collaborate with EU institutions, Member States and further social partners to achieve this objective. Strengthening worker representation in decision-making processes can ensure that unions and their affiliates are involved in shaping reskilling policies, and that their right to organise is protected.”

The full contribution is available here.

At meetings including with MEPs Li Andersson (GUE/NGL) Dennis Radtke (EPP), Jana Toom (Renew), Katrin Langensiepen (Greens/EFA), Alicia Homs Ginel (S&D), Hanna Gedin (GUE/NGL), Kim Van Sparrentak (Greens/EFA), Grégory Allione (Renew), CESI Secretary General deplored a relative lack of legislative policy initiatives planned for 2025, but positively noted confirmations about planned proposals for a directive on a right to disconnect and a further revised Carcinogens and mutagens directive, Workplace directive and Display screen equipment directive later this year.

He also welcomed a evaluation and revision of the EU public procurement directives, noting that new clauses on social conditionalities in public tenders are imperative. He supported MEPs in their efforts to achieve an ambitious new directive on quality traineeships and revised directive on European Works Councils (EWCs) and expressed hope that the announced new Action Plan on the Pillar of Social Rights and and Quality Jobs Roadmap of the European Commission later this year will offer tangible measures to improve employment and working conditions in Europe.

On a different note, he welcomed the European Parliament’s decision to establish new intergroups during this legislative term on the Future of Education and Skills for a Competitive Europe and on Resilience, Disaster Management and Civil Protection.

In a formal response to a consultation by the European Commission, CESI and Fismic-Confsal highlight trade union priorities for an EU industrial action plan for the automotive sector, including:

• the need to strike a balance between environmental objectives and industrial feasibility. Regular reviews should be based on technological and market developments and applicable to the EU’s 2035 internal combustion engine (ICE) phase-out target. A technology-neutral approach should be encouraged to allow for space of power by hydrogen, e-fuels and hybrid technologies in addition to electronic vehicles (EVs.)
• developing talent and transforming workforces. The shift to EVs and digitalised manufacturing will inevitably lead to changing workforce requirements, the decline of traditional jobs and the rise of new roles. According to estimates from the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), over 2.4 million workers in the automotive sector will need to be reskilled by 2030. Lifelong learning programs, apprenticeships and vocational training must be prioritised in EU funding, providing workers the skills to work in net zero technology functions, AI-driven vehicle systems and automation.
• enhancing security of supply chain and independence of raw materials. The EU is still heavily reliant on third countries for critical raw materials including lithium, cobalt and rare earths. The 2023 Critical Raw Materials Act from the European Commission should be updated to provide stronger incentives for domestic mining and recycling projects. Public-private partnerships in battery recycling and alternative material research can help reduce import reliance.
• increasing sovereignty in batteries and semiconductors. A sustainable automotive industry needs a vibrant domestic supply of batteries and semiconductors. The EU will only meet 70% of its battery demand by 2030, according to the European Battery Alliance. The European Chips Act, with its budget of 43 billion euros for investment, should ensure that the automotive industry receives priority access to semiconductors to avoid the kind of disruptions seen during the COVID-19 crisis.
• investing in public infrastructure and charging facilities. EV charging infrastructure will need to grow massively to fulfil the EU’s ambitious climate goals. According to the European Court of Auditors (2022), the rollout of charging stations is lagging behind the adoption rates of EVs in major markets like Germany, France and Italy. Efforts must be incentivised to establish more high-speed charging networks along major transport thoroughfares and urban centres through public and private investment.
• mitigating social and regional adverse impacts. The industrial transition threatens to increasingly hit regions that rely on internal combustion engine (ICE) manufacturing particularly hard. A Just Transition Fund for automotive regions is needed to help diversify the economy during the next transformation towards new mobility, provide new jobs, and ensure social safety nets. The prospects are dire; for instance, more than 70,000 jobs are at risk in Italy alone as the ICE vehicle phase-out proceeds in line with efforts around the globe, necessitating targeted regional support.
• supporting SMEs and industrial clusters. As SMEs make up the very backbone of Europe’s automotive supply chain, they need specific support. Also, industrial clusters and innovation hubs need to be scaled to drive collaboration between SMEs and large manufacturers.
• reinforcing end-of-life vehicle recycling and the circular economy. The EU should reinforce sustainability through binding recycling targets and extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes. According to the European Commission, end-of-life vehicle recycling could decrease automotive carbon emissions by 30%. Second-life battery applications and remanufacturing of vehicles can offer new business opportunities and negative waste.

The full consultation contribution is available here.

Priorities are shifting in EU policymaking. As Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign famously put it: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Today, this focus has fully resurfaced in Europe, placing competitiveness as a cornerstone of future prosperity.

This week, we discussed many different social and economic dossiers with Members of the European Parliament in Strasburg. As we know, a significant debate is now unfolding over how to balance competitiveness with environmental, consumer, and social protection.

Trump’s reelection will intensify concerns that stringent regulations might put European industries at a disadvantage compared to less regulated global competitors. More and more industry leaders and governments are calling for a ‘flexibility’ in certain environmental measures.

The work program of the European Commission for 2025, “A Bolder, Simpler, Faster Union”, published this week, places competitiveness and simplification at the heart of the EU agenda. Concrete proposals aim for instance at amending the so-called Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the EU Taxonomy Regulation – both designed to set high environment and human rights standards in supply chains and direct investments to low carbon economic activities.

The push for deregulation meets with strong resistance from many policymakers and civil society groups. “If von der Leyen spends the next five years dismantling what we’ve built in the previous five, we’ll have wasted a decade”, Bas Eickhout, co-leader of the Greens group in the European Parliament, recently told the EUObserver.

Admittedly, the choices will be difficult. Not every rule and administrative burden is needed, and the EU and its Member States are known for high regulatory density, with “two thirds of companies in the EU consider being hindered from investing by excessive regulation”.

On the other hand, the term bureaucracy, albeit almost always used as a pejorative, stands for the implementation, control and oversight over high protection levels – and not least for the application (and hence the rule) of law.

We would betray ourselves, would the path to competitiveness come at the expense of workers and, for instance, lead to less protective employment regulations. Fair working conditions and robust social protections are not obstacles to competitiveness – they are prerequisites for it.

Competitiveness and environmental, consumer, and social protections are not mutually exclusive, they can be mutually reinforcing. Investing in sustainable practices and ensuring fair working conditions can drive innovation, enhance productivity, and create a resilient economy. This is our firm belief.

Mario Draghi’s report on the future of EU competitiveness provides a stark analysis in this sense: Europe must act decisively to maintain its economic edge. But as Draghi points out, competitiveness cannot be built on a foundation of inequality or insecurity. Workers are Europe’s greatest asset, and investing in them – through training, protection, and fair conditions – is essential for sustainable growth.

As an example, the Commission has now laid a special focus on the battered automotive sector, where it has initiated a Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry. While the emphasis is on economic competitiveness, for us the process must also be about safeguarding quality jobs in the sector.

“It’s the economy, stupid”. But not at the expense of fairness. Competitiveness is vital, but it must serve all Europeans — not just a privileged few.

In the position, CESI welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to develop an EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights and demands specific measures in the areas of violence and harassment, equal pay and economic empowerment, women’s access to leadership positions, a fair distribution of care work and gender equality in care, and quality education and digital inclusion for women.

As such, CESI considers, most notably, that the roadmap should:

• highlight that the newly adopted EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence shall be fully implemented at the national level and stress that the EU should fully implement and enforce the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women within the remit of its competences.
• set concrete actions to close the gender pay and pension gaps, starting with a full implementation and enforcement of the EU pay transparency directive 2023/970.
• pave the way for further gender quotas in companies and public services beyond the narrow scope of the EU Women on Boards Directive 2022/2381, to include public administrations and senior management across all sectors and not just in large stock-listed enterprises.
• seek to enhance the economic value of care work and ensure fair wages, working conditions, and access to social security for care workers – which are by large majority women.
• develop initiatives to encourage women’s participation in STEM fields, digital industries and entrepreneurship – and likewise seek to encourage more men to pick up training and employment in traditionally female oriented sectors, such as in care.
• address AI-based and algorithmic discrimination of women in employment and beyond, too, so that AI tools are trained with gender-neutral data, algorithms should be gender-neutral in order to achieve balanced male/female parameters in AI and algorithms.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “As CESI, voice of over 6 million workers across Europe, we urge the European Commission to adopt a comprehensive, ambitious, and enforceable Roadmap for Women’s Rights that goes beyond declarative commitments and establishes concrete legislative, financial, and policy measures. It is imperative that the Roadmap considers a complete set of implementation and enforcement tools, ranging from hard tools like legislative proposals and infringement procedures to soft policy tools such as the European Semester, EU funding and support for trade unions and inclusive social dialogue at EU and national level. In terms of EU funding, a rigorous agenda of gender budgeting across all EU funding mechanisms, funds and instruments will be instrumental.”

The full contribution is available here.

The following horizontal work topics will be the focus of CESI’s activities in interest representation during the next year:

• EU defence capacity as a prerequisite for economic and social prosperity
• An EU agenda to reconcile competitiveness with social progress
• Decent employment and working conditions in the public and private sector
• Social & physical safety at work – incl. mental health, harassment & discrimination at work
• A strong public service agenda & investments in the resilience of public services and their staff; protection and valorisation of civil servants and public sector employees
• Fair green and digital transitions and artificial intelligence (AI) at work
• Public procurement with binding rules for decent employment & working conditions
• Future poof trade unions and unionism in evolving labour markets and economies

In addition, the Presidium and Programme Commission set specific work topics for every Commission and Expert Commission, which reflect CESI’s own priorities, the needs of CESI’s member organisations, and the political subjects that dominate the EU’s policy agency. All work topics can be accessed through the following links:

• Commission ‘Employment and Social Affairs’ (SOC)
• Commission ‘Women’s Rights and Gender Equality’ (FEMM)
• Expert Commission ‘Public Administrations’ (PA)
• Expert Commission ‘Education, Training and Research’ (EDUC)
• Expert Commission ‘Health Services’ (SAN)
• Expert Commission ‘Post and Telecoms’ (P&T)
• Expert Commission ‘Defence’ (DEF)

Until the next Congress, foreseen in 2029, CESI will continue to maintain the following Commissions and Expert Commissions:

• Commission on Employment and Social Affairs (SOC)
• Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
• Expert Commission on Public Administrations (PA)
• Expert Commission on Education, Training and Research (EDUC)
• Expert Commission on Health Services (SAN)
• Expert Commission on Defence (DEF)
• Expert Commission on Post and Telecoms (P&T)

Commissions and Expert Commissions usually meet once or twice per year and bring together representatives from interested member organisations. They act as fora for exchange of views, expertise and information on topical subject matters between CESI’s members and for deliberation and debate with politicians, stakeholder, academics and representatives of national and EU institutions and agencies. All Commissions and Expert Commissions will elect their President and Vice-Presidents at their respective constitute meetings later this year.

The Presidium also decided to re-instate CESI’s Working Group on the Future of Work, which operates in the frame of the SOC Commission and was first set up in 2020. It brings together various debates circling around the future of work in CESI’s trade union network and prepares CESI’s interest representation in this area. Like in the previous years, it will be led by Sara Rinaudo (Confsal, Italy).

Further information about CESI’s Commissions, Expert Commissions and Working Group structure is available here.

In line with a motion adopted at CESI’s last Congress, the Presidium also put in place a new ‘CESI Seniors’ platform, which will act as a voice of older wokers and retirees/pensioners within CESI. Its constitutive process will be initiated soon.

In the position, CESI emphasises its overall agreement with a new EU Traineeship Directive – provided it remains ambitious and will help bring real improvements for trainees across Europe.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The European Commission’s proposal represents a much-needed opportunity to address issues related to poor quality, unpaid, and exploitative traineeships across the European Union. Latest figures show that almost half of the EU’s three million trainees are unpaid and almost a third have no access to social protection.”

In line with this, CESI’s position puts forward the following priorities for a new Directive:

• Non-discrimination and fair pay: All trainees should have access to fair compensation for the work provided: they must receive adequate remuneration, which should cover at least their living costs (accommodation, food, transport). Minimum wage provisions or collective agreements should apply for non-curricular traineeships.
• Duration of traineeships: The duration of traineeships should not exceed 6 months, except in cases where there are justified, objective reasons (such as regulated professions).
• Learning content of traineeships: Traineeships must include clear learning and training elements with proper supervision.
• Combating disguised employment relationships: National authorities must conduct regular inspections to prevent the misuse of traineeships as substitutes for regular employment.
  
• Enforcement and redress mechanisms: Trainees must have full access to trade union representation, and trade unions should have the ability to act on behalf of trainees in disputes.
  

The full position, with detailed suggestions for amendments of the European Commission’s proposal, is available here.

In response to the European Commission’s publication of the Competitiveness Compass this week, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger shares the following statement:

“While we as the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) acknowledge the importance of enhancing competitiveness, we must be unequivocal: this must not come at the cost of workers’ rights, fair wages and social protection.

The EU’s strategy rightly acknowledges that Europe’s greatest asset is its people. The document highlights the need for a ‚Union of Skills‘ and recognises that ‚effective social policies built around the European Pillar of Social Rights are central to shaping a competitive Europe.‘ However, these words must be backed by action.

Too often, calls for deregulation and ‚flexibility‘ have been euphemisms for weakening workers’ protections, suppressing wages, and making jobs more precarious. CESI warns that an approach to competitiveness that prioritises corporate profit margins over workers’ well-being will not create sustainable economic growth but rather fuel inequality and social unrest.

The Compass must be compatible with the foreseen Quality Jobs Roadmap, which is supposed to deliver decent labour standards, fair contracts and improved working conditions across all sectors. It must not lead to a race to the bottom in labour standards.

The twin transitions—digital and green—offer an opportunity to redefine work in a way that benefits both businesses and workers. But we must ensure that these transitions are managed fairly. They must be done with the workers and not to them. Workers in traditional industries cannot be left behind in the rush to modernise. The EU must invest in reskilling and create pathways for workers to transition into emerging sectors without facing economic hardship – and encourage adequate social protection for those that, for various reasons beyond their control, cannot adjust sufficiently and be retrained adequately.

While the Communication correctly acknowledges a role of social partners in transition processes, it is unclear how trade unions will be meaningfully included in shaping the competitiveness agenda. As CESI, we demand a structured, inclusive and binding role for all trade unions in policy formulation at both national and EU levels. The social market economy that Europe prides itself on must be more than a rhetorical flourish. It must be the guiding principle of economic reforms.

CESI stands firm in demanding that competitiveness policies promote quality jobs, fair wages, and robust social protections. Workers are not the problem; they are a part of the solution. CESI urges policymakers to ensure that the pursuit of competitiveness does not come at the expense of the European social model. A truly competitive Europe is one that values its workers as much as its businesses.“

The chairs of the political groups in the European Parliament have decided on the establishment of so-called intergroups for the new EU legislative period – and supported both intergroup proposals with involvement of CESI.

Upon CESI’s co-proposal and under the leadership of French liberal MEP Grégory Allione, an intergroup on ‘Resilience, Disaster Management and Civil Protection’ will be formed. In addition, another intergroup on will be established on ‘The Future of Education and Skills for a Competitive Europe’, spearheaded by the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE), Schuman Associates, and the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLP), in cooperation with CESI as the representative of teachers across Europe. It will be sponsored by MEPs Nela Riehl, Victor Negrescu, Brigitte Van Den Berg and Eleonora Meleti.

Intergroups are forums for informal exchanges of opinions and ideas on specific topics between different political groups, as well as for contact between Members of Parliament and civil society. Each intergroup consists of members from at least three different parliamentary groups and evolves from initiatives by interest groups and/or individual Members of Parliament. Intergroups are established at the beginning of each legislative period through an agreement among the leaders of the political groups.

For CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger, the establishment of these intergroups marks a first tangible lobbying success in the new year: “Since the summer, Members of Parliament and interest groups from a wide variety of sectors have floated dozens of intergroup poposals in the European Parliament, but there were only 28 free spots. That we were able to lobby successfully here is a promising start to our advocacy in the new legislative period and a great success for CESI. We emphasise that the intergroup on Resilience, Disaster Management and Civil Protection would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of MEP Grégory Allione. He was instrumental to push through a positive decision.”

The primary aim of the intergroup on resilience, disaster management, and disaster protection will be to foster a collaborative exchange with interested MEPs and civil society representatives, particularly from the fields of public order, economy, and the environment. The goal is to discuss holistic strategies that better prepare Europe for future crises, including improved mechanisms for cross-border cooperation and resilience-building in climate protection.

Similarly, the intergroup on the future of education aims to further help to make education a strategic priority for Europe. The intergroup will focus on topics such as the digital and green transitions, the promotion of STEM subjects (alongside social sciences), the recognition of vocational qualifications, and the advancement of equitable educational opportunities. Close collaboration with formal and informal education stakeholders and civil society will be sought to foster innovative learning pathways and solutions.

For CESI, the intergroups will play an important role alongside the existing social dialogue in representing the interests of public service personnel and administrations to EU institutions, particularly the European Parliament. Klaus Heeger emphasised: “Emergency services and firefighters are increasingly overwhelmed by the challenges of disaster management – not only during the annual wildfires in southern Europe during the summer months. In the context of climate change, floods and emergencies caused by extreme weather hazards are becoming a real threat in almost all regions of the EU. We hope that with an intergroup, we can contribute to further strengthening and optimising European cooperation in disaster protection. And the future of education, which is increasingly being debated on a European level, cannot be discussed without the voice of teachers.”

CESI’s 8^th European Defence Round Table (EDRT)*

18 February 2025 2024 1:30 – 3:00 PM| online & in Brussels | In English & German languages

Please register here

The global security landscape has changed significantly during the last three years. While Russia´s war on Ukraine enters its third year, the Middle East conflict remains structurally unsolved, and Donald Trump’s return to the White House will profoundly challenge the EU’s foreign and security policy. The new EU’s political leadership faces several challenging tasks, including ensuring European security in an era of complete instability, balancing the need for economic growth, sustainability, and social policies while making significant investments in defence-related production, and determining how the proposed European Defence Union will enhance military readiness, improve mobility, and foster joint investments.

To address these challenges, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has prioritized defence and the establishment of a “European Defence Union.” In her political guidelines she announced a White Paper on European Defence within her first 100 days in office. Commissioners Kaja Kallas (High Representative/Vice President) and Andrius Kubilius (Defence and Space) will spearhead these efforts, focusing on defence capabilities, industrial competitiveness, and key investment needs.

As the EU’s new political electoral cycle unfolds amid ongoing and interconnected crises and challenges — including the war in Ukraine, climate change, inflation, demographic aging, political fragmentations, and a change in American leadership — this event aims to inform and further CESI’s EU-funded Syncrisis project. The project assesses how, in times of crisis, public services must be equipped and adapted to deliver and continue to perform, and to which extent effective crisis management relies on resilient, high-performing, and well-functioning public services and administrations. In the area of defence, the aim of the project is to underpin the need for reforms and investment in military staff, equipment, resources and Member State cooperation to maintain effective security for Europe.

CESI’s 8th European Defence Round Table seeks to address questions including the following:

• How can EU enhance its defence integration, addressing threats such as Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and broader geopolitical challenges while also prioritising its social policies and its economies of scale? What are likely implications brought by the new Trump administration?
• Will key initiatives such as a European air shield, an expansion of cyber-defence, strengthened EU-NATO ties, reduced external procurement dependencies, and fostered intra-EU defence collaboration be sufficient for the EU to preserve its peace and commercial ties?
• What strategies can be employed to persuade EU Member States to enhance their investments to achieve EU defence readiness and capacity, and how can these investments be aligned with the broader goals of economic stability and employment protection for military and civilian armed forces?
• Which priorities should feature above all in the forthcoming White Paper on European Defence, from the perspective of military staff as well as broader military aspects?

With the participation of (in alphabetical order):

• MEP Michael Gahler, Member of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, (Germany)- Video Message
• Klaus Heeger, Secretary General of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI)
• Mary Kaldor, Prof. Emeritus of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict Research Programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
• Sebastian Käding, Assessor for Civilian Employees, Government Senior Official at the German Armed Forces Association (DBwV), (tbc)
• Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence (tbc)

Please register for the CESI’s 8th European Defence Round Table (EDRT) here.

*CESI’s European Defence Round Table (EDRT) aims at including more key players and stakeholders in the processes of the Common Security and Defence Policy.‍

Under the theme ‘Security’ Poland will focus its agenda-setting powers in the Council of Ministers on EU defense readiness and capabilities, border protection, disaster resilience, economic security, energy supply certainty, a resilient agriculture, and not least health security.  

Donald Trump

With Donald Trump back in the White House, Europe faces new economic, social, political and defence-related challenges.  

Even if Trump has not imposed new tariffs in EU countries on day one, he has already pulled out of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). This is deplorable and a real set-back in international efforts to curtail tax avoidance by multinational corporations. We must be prepared for further measures by the Trump administrations in other areas too. The EU must immediately agree on how to proceed, as his measure completely contradicts the EU’s efforts to bring about a global solution to fair corporate taxation.

Further initiatives are needed to intensify efforts to achieve global solutions. This is true not only in the area of taxation but in the field of climate change mitigation too. After Trump has pulled the US out of the Paris climate agreement, global attempts to make emitters like China and India reduce their CO2 emissions are more important than ever. The Paris agreement must be preserved.  

According to CESI, the Polish Presidency should be ready to help:

• manage possible shifts in trade relations by strengthening internal EU cooperation and the internal market. Europe can only be as strong towards the outside as it is united towards the inside.  

• boost defense capabilities without compromising social investments. The needs of citizens must not be forgotten, even if military security is the precondition of it.  

• build Europe’s self-sufficiency in energy, manufacturing, and digital industries to stay resilient and nurture forward-looking economic sectors and jobs.
  

Competitiveness and social fairness

One of the key goals of Poland’s Council Presidency is boosting economic competitiveness. To maintain fairness, active labour market policies (ALMPs) that focus on upskilling and reskilling are needed.  

CESI therefore expects from the Polish Presidency to promote policies that:

• invest in lifelong learning and vocational training so workers can keep up with evolving job demands.

• improve job security with fair working conditions, decent wages, and safeguards against unstable employment.

• support cooperation between public and private sectors to create stable jobs, especially in struggling regions and sectors.
  

Transitions and social dialogue

As Europe moves toward greener and more digital industries, CESI stresses the need for a fair transition that doesn’t leave workers behind. Strong relations between trade unions, employers, and governments are essential.  

In the view of CESI, the Polish Council Presidency should seek to:

• strengthen dialogue mechanisms at national and EU levels to tackle challenges specific to different sectors.

• follow through on the European Pillar of Social Rights to turn commitments into real benefits for workers.

• recognise the importance of public services and ensure adequate investment in health, education, and social care.

• support an EU framework to help workers and communities most affected by climate and digital changes.

• encourage social protection policies to cushion the impact of industrial changes.

• promote equal opportunities in the workforce, ensuring that everyone can benefit from new economic opportunities.
  

In the immediate term, CESI expects that the Polish Presidency will take a proactive approach to advance negotiations of social policy files already under negotiation or at least in preparation, including the EU Traineeships Directive, a socially-oriented revision of public procurement rules, and a forward looking Defence White Paper and Women’s Rights Roadmap.  

Generally, social rights must not fall victim but accompany a road to further competitiveness. In this context it would also be most regrettable should the Court of Justice of the EU follow a recent Opinion of Advocate General Emiliou to annul the EU’s minimum wage directive – a social flagship initiative of the EU’s last term that would be vital to protect collective bargaining and ensure decent wages across Europe.  

To conclude

The success of the Polish Council Presidency will depend on its ability to push forward policies that boost Europe’s economy while ensuring security and fairness for all, in a period of uncertain impacts of the new Trump administration. The key question will be the preservation of unity in the EU.

The CESI EU co-funded SynCrisis project reached its culmination with a final conference, marking the conclusion of a two-year initiative focused on the essential role of public services in addressing Europe’s multifaceted and interconnected crises.

In a world shaped by “permacrisis,” public services are at the forefront of crisis management but face critical challenges, including understaffing, lack of resources, and overburdened personnel. The SynCrisis project has worked extensively to identify the structural challenges hindering public services and their workforce. The final conference will present findings and recommendations that address workforce preparedness, resource allocation, and collaboration among EU institutions and Member States.

Taking place a day after the CESI 2024 Congress, this final conference presents a unique platform to build on the Congress’s theme: “Independence, Unity, and Progress – Empowering Today’s Workforce for Tomorrow.” The event brings together some of the most representative and vocal trade union leaders and experts to give them the opportunity to explain the national realities, limitations and threats for the public sector, while also showcasing insights and best practices from different sectors and perspectives.

Romain Wolff, President of CGFP and CESI, underscores the importance of proactive strategies: “We must anticipate and mitigate the fiscal shocks ahead.” Similarly, Marcello Pacifico, CESI Academy President, highlights the compounded crises, including war and climate change, and emphasizes the critical role of educators in fostering democratic, sustainable, and resilient societies. He advocates for a European statute for teachers, proposing improved social protections, pension rights, and working conditions to address the undervaluation of the teaching profession.

Panel Discussions on Resilience and Workforce Needs

The first panel, “Social Investment in EU Economic Governance,” examines how social investment strengthens public service resilience and supports fiscal reforms. Lucia Piana of the European Commission elaborates on the role of EU economic governance rules in aligning fiscal sustainability with common priorities such as green and digital transitions, social resilience, and energy security. Dr. Philipp Lausberg of the European Policy Centre discusses the importance of improved corporate taxation to fund social investments and foster economic growth.

Dr. Milena Popović Samardžić,  epidemiologist and President of the Union of Doctors of Medicine of Montenegro,  Vice-President of CESI, addresses the crises of healthcare workforce and brain drain in the EU. Magalí Brosio from the Zoe Institute emphasizes the role of public service delivery in ensuring well-being and fundamental rights.

Elizabeth Kuiper, Associate Director and Head of the Social Europe and Well- being programme at the European Policy Centre and the exceptional moderator of the conference, offers insightful reflections by referencing Enrico Letta’s concept of the ‘freedom to stay’—the ability to remain in one’s home country while enjoying its resources and opportunities—as a counterpoint to the challenges posed by brain drain..

Magalí Brosio, economist and project manager at the Zoe Institute, touches how important the theory of change is to address the role of public sector service delivery plays in ensuring wellbeing and fundamental rights in the EU.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, re-elected for a second term, has prioritised defence as a key pillar for completing the European Single Market and establishing a robust European Defence Union.

Von der Leyen announced a white paper on the future of European defence within the first 100 days of her new Commission. The EU´s new High Representative Kaja Kallas and the new Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius have been entrusted with the task.

The white paper will address critical investment needs, strengthen defence capabilities, and enhance industrial competitiveness to bolster the EU’s response to global security threats, including Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.

Some proposed initiatives include:

• A European air shield for continental air defence
• Expanded cyber-defence capabilities
• Strengthened EU-NATO cooperation

Furthermore, increased financing and cooperation shall improve innovation, production and procurement procedures to strengthen the European defence industry and to reduce armament imports. While EU-level policies will focus on supporting the defence industrial base and innovation, Member States will retain control over deployment and military doctrine.

This initiative responds to the European Parliament’s long-standing call (since 2016) for a defence white paper to advance EU integration in defence and achieve strategic autonomy. It builds on the 2017 reflection paper on European defence, which explored three integration scenarios (security and defence cooperation, shared security and defence, and common security and defence) and on the 2022 Strategic Compass in 2022, a guideline to EU security and defence policy.

Strengthening the EU’s Security and Defence Structure: SEDE Becomes a Standing Committee

Since December 2024, the European Parliament´s former subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is now a full standing committee. This decision aligns with citizens´ concerns, parliamentary priorities, and also with CESI´s demands, as it reflects the new importance EU defence policies has.

The Security and Defence Committee comprises 43 members and will complement the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET). The newly elected chairwomen Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has emphasized the need to closely cooperate with Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius to strengthen Europe’s security architecture and to cement the EU´s position as a global security actor.

The Extraordinary EU Summit on Defence, scheduled for February 3, 2025, is called upon to define the EU’s strategic ambitions in defence integration and security.

In reaction to these recent developments Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary-General, states: ‘More European efforts are needed for the European Defence Union to grow and for member states to become aligned towards the common goal, which remains peace and deterrence against aggressors. As CESI we remain steadfast in advocating for the rights and protection of military and civilian personnel of armed forces while tackling the challenges of a fully-fledged -European Defence Union.

Sebastian Käding from the Deutscher BundeswehrVerband (DBwV) adds: “The role of all armed forces within the European Defense Union is of central importance. We must ensure that our soldiers are equipped, trained and protected in the best possible way so that they can make their contribution to a common security architecture. At the same time, we must not lose sight of the social and labor law concerns of military and civilian personnel. A strong European Defense Union requires equally strong backing for the people who support it.”