European Commission sets the (vague) path for a quality jobs law

Brussels – Quality jobs, modernisation and fair wages. European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Minzatu presents the roadmap for the future of employment in the Union. “Over the past year, wherever I have travelled, workers, employers, and national authorities have told me the same thing: Europe needs a strong agenda for quality jobs.” The demand, which came from the European workforce, aims to be translated into Minzatu’s plan, which, however, as announced today, 4 December, remains ill-defined. Also influencing this are the legislative limits the EU must respect regarding labour in its Member States. 

For now, the certainty is that the EU Commission has launched the first phase of consultations with European trade unions, aiming to give birth to the Quality Jobs Act. The law would aim to improve wages and job quality. The first phase of consultations will end on 29 January.

Today, we launch the Quality Jobs Roadmap and begin the process towards the Quality Jobs Act.

The Quality Jobs Roadmap focuses on 3 key pillars:

Creating quality jobs
Modernisation
Stronger safety nets

Read more about it here ⬇️https://t.co/kcCfLtZqEF (2/2) pic.twitter.com/17lV8IoZTx

– Roxana Mînzatu (@RoxanaMinzatu) ##December 4, 2025

For workers to aspire to quality jobs, according to Minzatu, it is necessary to “focus on skills.” Having more “competent” workers inevitably brings with it the challenge of ensuring fair pay so they do not flee abroad. This is why, for the Commissioner, it is necessary to ensure “fair incentives to companies that invest in people and create quality jobs.”

Modernising the European production fabric is the other main pitfall. On the one hand, it is a necessary process; on the other hand, it could reduce the number of the employed workforce. “Embracing innovation does not mean abandoning workers’ guarantees,” recalls Minzatu, who announces a collaboration on the topic with the executive vice-president for technological sovereignty, Henna Virkkunen. Also central are the issues of workplace safety and more efficient use of public funds. “Future national and regional partnership plans will allocate at least 14 per cent of the funds for social spending, i.e., for people,” the Commissioner announced.

However, the lofty promises lack concreteness. The only practical information concerns the minimum wage. The Commissioner recalled how “a fair wage protects purchasing power, reduces inequalities, and makes work really attractive. I am pleased that the European Court of Justice has confirmed the validity of the Minimum Wage Directive.” Minzatu hopes to “ensure that it is transposed in all member states.” A statement that certainly does not please Rome, which has always been against this initiative. For Minzatu, however, such an initiative would be necessary because “the coverage of collective bargaining has decreased in two thirds of the member states. We want to reverse this trend.”

The Commissioner, prompted by an ANSA journalist, then turned to the Italian situation. Despite wages in Italy growing half the European average, Minzatu did not seem worried: “In 2024, Italy will finally see a recovery of real wages after years of stagnation. Moreover, nominal wages are expected to grow by around 2.7 per cent in 2024. These figures are very encouraging.”