Labour mobility: Takeaways for construction from the European Labour Authority Outreach Event in Brussels to strengthen Cooperation with Social Partners

On 29 January, the European Builders Confederation (EBC) participated in the European Labour Authority (ELA) yearly outreach event in Brussels. Bringing together social partners to discuss labour mobility, cross-border employment challenges, and enforcement authorities, the event focused on ELA’s role in ensuring fair and effective labour market practices across Europe. The discussions reinforced the importance of inclusive social dialogue in shaping labour policies that impact the construction sector.

Key Discussions: Labour Mobility and Social Security Coordination

The event opened with remarks from Cosmin Boiangiu, Executive Director of ELA, who highlighted that 15 million mobile workers are active across the EU, with millions more when including third-country nationals (TCNs). A central topic was ELA’s priorities for 2025, with a focus on social security coordination and better enforcement of labour rights announced. Upcoming work on intermediaries and interim work agencies, as well as subcontracting practices, was also announced, topics with significant implications for the construction sector.

David-Pascal Dion, Acting Director of Labour Mobility and International Affairs at DG EMPL, provided insights into the European Commission’s efforts to enhance labour mobility frameworks, emphasizing the importance of cross-border coordination and social partner involvement. He underscored the need for skills portability and the digitalization of posting declarations, while also acknowledging the ongoing challenges in coordinating social security systems. The willingness to further investigate into digitalisation of administrative procedures was often mentioned.

Labour Inspections and Compliance

The event also addressed the role of concerted and joint inspections in tackling labour fraud, undeclared work, and non-compliance with EU regulations — key to ensuring a level playing field for businesses and workers alike. ELA’s 2024 inspection figures revealed that 21 joint and concerted inspections were conducted in the construction sector, including 13 individual actions and 8 weeks of action.

Looking ahead to 2025, inspections under ELA coordination will expand, with a dedicated two-week campaign in the construction sector focused on social security fraud. Given that 10% of all cross-border inspections in 2024 targeted letterbox companies, construction remains a priority sector in the fight against undeclared work and labour exploitation.

ELA’s Awareness Campaigns and Social Partner Engagement

Another highlight of the event was ELA’s communication campaigns, which aim to inform workers and employers about their rights and obligations under EU labour laws. Social partners, including EBC, play a crucial role in raising awareness and ensuring compliance.

ELA will launch an EU-wide information campaign on social security rules and conduct a study on A1 procedures under the Posting 360 Program. Additionally, an analytical report on social security coordination issues and enhanced employer guidance on social contributions will be made available.

The growing role of social partners in escalating cases to ELA was underlined, to provide a direct channel for industry concerns to be addressed at the EU level.

Conclusion and Next Steps

The event concluded with a call for continued collaboration between ELA and both cross-sectoral and sectoral social partners, emphasizing the importance of inclusive dialogue to ensure fair and effective labour mobility regulations.

EBC will continue engaging with ELA and EU institutions to advocate for policies that support a sustainable and well-regulated construction labour market while ensuring that regulatory changes on subcontracting, inspections, and social security coordination align with the needs of small construction companies.