The College of Europe Development Office, in cooperation with the Swiss Mission to the EU, is organizing an after-work panel debate on "Protecting posted workers – A contribution to free movement of persons in Europe?" at the Thon Hotel EU in Brussels on 14 November 2018 at 17:00.
In recent years the free movement of workers, one of the fundamental principles of the European Union, has become an increasingly polarized topic in the public opinion. In the run-up to the Brexit-referendum Brexit campaigners claimed the large number of EU workers in Britain were responsible for the downward pressure on British wages. These concerns have been shared in other EU Member States and have recently prompted the Juncker-Commission to revise the Posted Workers Directive in order to protect European workers from social dumping.
In a similar vein, Switzerland has a long experience in this field since its bilateral agreement with the EU on the free movement of persons entered into force in 2002 (AFMP). Switzerland introduced in 2004 flanking measures in order to protect the working conditions that apply to the specific situation of Switzerland, in conformity with the AMFP. New measures are being discussed on a regular basis.
However, the question remains whether these measures achieve their projected goal of protecting workers or are they merely impeding business?
PROGRAMME
WELCOME
16:30 Registration
17:00 Welcome and introduction
17:10 Key Note Speech
PANEL DEBATE
17:30 The flexibility of EU’s labour market and the effects of Accompanying Measures
17:40 The European Labour Authority and Revision of the Posting of Workers Directive
17:50 Revision of the EU’s Posting of Workers Directive and the effects on business
18:00 Debate
NETWORKING
19:00 Cocktail
20:30 End of the event
