European Parliament launches debate on new strategic framework.

The European Parliament has launched a debate on the future of European occupational safety and health (OSH) policy. As the current EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work expires at the end of 2027, Members of the European Parliament, together with experts, assessed the implementation of the existing framework and set the course for its further development. Representatives of employers and workers, research institutions, as well as European and international organisations discussed the challenges of a changing world of work. Particular attention was given to the impact of the digital and green transitions on OSH.

Calls for a more binding framework

At the beginning of the debate, the question was raised as to whether the current strategic framework is sufficiently binding. Several participants suggested giving the future approach a stronger political foundation and further developing the key priorities of the current framework. These include, among other things, the continuous revision of the Directive on carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances (CMRD), as well as the effective enforcement of existing legislation.

It was also proposed that rules on algorithmic management should not be limited to specific sectors but should apply across all occupations. Workers' representatives identified psychosocial risks, musculoskeletal disorders, and the impact of extreme weather events as key priorities for the new framework. They emphasised that voluntary guidelines and other soft law instruments alone may not be sufficient. Additional issues raised by the European Trade Union Confederation included a stronger gender-sensitive approach and more effective enforcement of OSH legislation through labour inspections.

Focusing on regulation and competitiveness

At the same time, the employers' representative pointed out that Europe's political and economic priorities have changed. Future OSH requirements must therefore also be aligned with industrial policy initiatives, such as the Industrial Accelerator Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act, as well as with increasing defence investments. Against this background, BusinessEurope advocated for more efficient and practical regulatory approaches. Not every regulatory detail, it argued, needs to be determined at the European level.

In addition, several participants called for a stronger scientific basis for OSH policy and closer cooperation between occupational health research and public health research. Initial proposals from the Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work (see DSV News 01/2026) indicate that the existing European OSH framework is robust and adaptable. It was therefore questioned whether additional regulatory measures are necessarily required.

Continuity in the key trends

Regardless of differing views on regulatory measures, there was broad agreement on the developments that will shape the future world of work. The key trends of recent years are expected to continue influencing OSH. Digitalisation, demographic change, and the green transition remain the main drivers shaping the workplace. Psychosocial risks and musculoskeletal disorders are regarded as particularly significant, with various studies, including those by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), identifying them as having the greatest impact. In particular, there is now a substantial body of scientific evidence on psychosocial risks from which a need for action can be derived. Occupational diseases were also identified as an area that will become increasingly important for future OSH policy.

Parallel developments

Although the official stakeholder consultation has not yet begun, initial position papers are already being published to influence ongoing political initiatives, such as the planned Quality Jobs Act. In mid-June, employer and business organisations issued a joint statement on psychosocial risks in the workplace, opposing their regulation through a standalone directive. At the same time, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) is preparing an own-initiative report on the impact of extreme temperatures on the world of work.

Developments in OSH can also be observed at the national level. In the German Bundesrat, a motion for a resolution on reducing bureaucracy and modernising administration in the field of OSH has once again been introduced. The motion calls on the Federal Government to comprehensively review, modernise, simplify, and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens in national OSH legislation as part of the federal modernisation agenda.