Bratislava, Slovakia, will host the seat of the European Labor Authority

One month ago (13/6), European Union (EU) Member States have decided that Bratislava, in Slovakia, will host the seat of the European Labor Authority (ELA), just ahead of the meeting of the Council on Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers in which the Regulation establishing ELA will be formally adopted.

   The former president of the European Commission, Juncker, first announced the idea of a European Labor Authority in his State of the Union address in September 2017. The Commission presented its proposal for establishing a Labor Authority in March 2018, and in February 2019 the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement.

   Over the last decade, the number of mobile citizens, people living and/or working in another Member State, has almost doubled to reach 17 million in 2017. The European Labor Authority will help individuals, businesses, and national administrations to get the most out of the opportunities offered by free movement and to ensure fair labor mobility. The objective of the Authority is three-fold:

- It will provide information to citizens and business on opportunities for jobs, apprenticeships, mobility schemes, recruitments and training, as well as guidance on rights and obligations to live, work and/or operate in another Member State of the EU.

- It will support cooperation between national authorities in cross-border situations, by helping them ensure that the EU rules that protect and regulate mobility are easily and effectively followed.

- It will be able to provide mediation and facilitate solutions in case of cross-border disputes, such as in the event of company restructuring involving several Member States.

   The European Labor Authority will be a permanent structure, made up of approximately 140 staff members, some of them seconded from EU countries and acting as National Liaison Officers. It will be steered by a Management Board, with representatives from each EU country and the European Commission. A dedicated Stakeholder Group including EU social partners will provide further expertise and have an advisory role. It will have an annual budget of approximately 50 million euros.