European Commission launches consultations with social partners

Digitisation has made a major contribution to changing the working world. For many employees mobile working has now become an integral part of their working lives. Although mobile working has become very important, there is currently no EU-level legislation regulating teleworking or the right to disconnect.

At the end of 2019, the European Parliament recognised that the boundaries between working and private lives were becoming increasingly blurred and it began working on a resolution covering the right to disconnect. The Corona pandemic emphasised the need for action in this sector. In a resolution adopted by them on 21 January 2021, MEPs called on the European Commission to submit a legislative proposal that would allow workers to effectively exercise their right to disconnect. The European Parliament also spoke out in favour of defining minimum requirements covering teleworking.

Consultations with social partners

As part of the 2022-2024 work programme, the European social partners agreed to implement measures to regulate teleworking and introduce a right to disconnect. However, negotiations to update their 2002 framework teleworking agreement were unsuccessful. This has resulted in the European Commission initiating formal consultations at the request of the social partners. The social partners have been invited to comment on the challenges and prospects associated with teleworking and the right to disconnect by 11 June. They were also asked to assess whether the European Union (EU) should implement measures or not. 

Preparatory measures

The European Commission commissioned a study to obtain more information about the social, economic and legal contexts and it was published in March 2024. The teleworking trends and the right to disconnect in the context of digitisation were also examined as well as the future of working during and after the corona pandemic. The conclusions were that teleworking is here to stay and that a work/life balance must be ensured in the context of teleworking. The study also emphasised the need to find long-term and coordinated solutions at EU level aimed at reducing the administrative burden of dealing with the different tax and social security systems applicable in the member states.

The results of this study, together with the results of the consultations with the social partners, will be incorporated when the EU measures covering teleworking and the right to disconnect are prepared.