Turning Social Europe into a reality: the Bulgarian Presidency signs the Posting of Workers Directive

Lilyana Pavlova, Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, and Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament, today signed the revised rules for the posting of workers, which the Bulgarian Presidency negotiated during its term. Once the new rules enter into force, they will guarantee that employees across the EU receive equal pay for equal work, thus striking the right balance between the interests of workers and businesses. The deadline for transposing and applying the directive is 2 years after its entry into force.

Following the signing ceremony, Ms Pavlova said:

“Contributing to a fairer and more effective labour market in Europe was a priority for the Bulgarian Presidency. We are happy to have contributed to making this concept a reality. The revised Posting of Workers Directive will improve the protection of workers while enabling fair competition among companies. The new rules seek to respond to the new economic and labour market conditions, thus making sure that our legislation is fit for today’s and tomorrow’s realities, moving forward the social dimension of the European Union and delivering on the guidelines of the EU leaders in the social area.”

During its term, the Bulgarian Presidency also brought Member States together around common positions on the rules for social security co-ordination in the EU, work-life balance for parents and carers and fairer working conditions. Once adopted, these acts will give citizens new and more effective rights, thus laying the foundations for the European Pillar of Social Rights.

The Presidency's targeted efforts in the area of social policy have also allowed it to deliver on the commitments it undertook at the start of its six-month term to make further progress towards finding solutions for productive employment and sustainable and balanced economic growth.

Commenting on the overall work of the Bulgarian Presidency in the area of social affairs, Ms Zornitsa Roussinova, Deputy Minister of Social Affairs and chief negotiator for the social policy files on behalf of the Presidency, said:

“Social Europe can only become a reality if we all make the necessary efforts to turn ideas into action. I am glad that the Bulgarian Presidency has played a key role in laying the foundations for the European Pillar of Social Rights, thus standing behind our citizens who are participating in or willing to access the labour market. Our dedication to this topic is a lasting one, and our work will continue in the months and years to come.”

Also today, Minister Pavlova and President Tajani signed two more pieces of legislation finalised during the Bulgarian Presidency, one on a proportionality test before the adoption of new regulations for professions and another on the monitoring and reporting of new heavy-duty vehicles' CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption.

The proportionality test rules seek to harmonise the way in which proportionality tests are carried out before Member States introduce new regulations for professions. They will improve transparency in the way certain professions are regulated in the member states. They will also ensure that national measures are proportionate, and do not unduly restrict access to professional activities or create unjustified burdens in the internal market.

The regulation on the monitoring and reporting of the CO₂ emissions from and the fuel consumption of new heavy-duty vehicles forms part of the EU's overall efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions, and it is a step towards a competitive low-carbon economy.

More information about the legislative acts signed today is available here, here and here.

Pictures and videos from the signing ceremony can be found here.