The Council of the EU has adopted its position to the new traineeship directive. It limits the legislation’s scope and puts emphasis on the goal to combat so-called false traineeships.
The general approach adopted on Thursday by the employment and social policy Council introduces some key changes from the Commission’s original proposal. Most notably, it limits the directive’s scope to trainees in an employment relationship. This, according to Roxana Mînzatu, Vice-President of the European Commission for Jobs and Social Rights, would mean that the directive would only apply to 24 per cent of all paid trainees in the EU. “We would have liked to see more ambition on who is covered by the directive,” Ms Mînzatu said during the Thursday meeting.
Likewise, when it comes to the second objective of the directive, combating “false” traineeships—positions which basically equal standard employment, but with less protection—the Council is less ambitious than the original text. “It is a pity that the chapter of false traineeships doesn’t include the area of education and training,” Ms Mînzatu said.
Compromise reached through difficulties
Even then, reaching a compromise was, according to Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Polish Minister for Family, Labour and Social Policy who chaired the meeting, “harder than expected”. Member states voiced concerns about excessive regulatory burden.
That showed in the language of the general approach the Council adopted. The text negotiated by the Polish presidency states that the directive does not impose any obligation on member states to introduce a specific employment relationship for trainees into their national laws. It also gives member states more flexibility on how to tackle the issue of false traineeships.
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The Commission has proposed the legislation in response to calls from the European Parliament in March 2024. The main aim is to improve the working conditions of trainees, by ensuring that trainees receive equal treatment as regular employees in terms of working conditions, including pay. The Parliament is yet to approve its position.
