Employment 16

Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

BENNIS Hamza In Digitalisation, Digitalisation, Employment, Employment, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Press, Projects and Programmes, Projects and programmes, Publications, Skills, Skills, ,

Local, social, digital – digitalisation impact

A joint CEMR–EPSU project explores how digitalisation is transforming local and regional governments across Europe and its impact on workers, services and governance

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Digital transformation is reshaping local public services across Europe, from how services are delivered to how public employees work and engage with citizens. To understand these changes and support effective responses, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the European Public Service Union (EPSU) launched a joint project: “Local, Social, Digital”, co-funded by the European Commission and implemented between 2023 and 2024.

This initiative explored the challenges, opportunities and impact of digitalisation in local and regional governments (LRGs), with a particular focus on working conditions, skills development, social dialogue, and inclusive governance.

At the heart of the project is a comprehensive research report prepared by an independent expert, based on desk research, interviews with national CEMR and EPSU affiliates, and key insights from international conferences and webinars held in Cagliari, Tallinn and online.

The research revealed a wide range of digital practices and challenges across European LRGs. Digital tools are enhancing flexibility, accessibility and efficiency, but also raising important questions around workers’ rights, surveillance, data privacy, and fair access to training and upskilling. The study also found growing awareness around the gendered impact of digitalisation, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key themes included:

Telework and hybrid work: The shift to remote working has been widely adopted, but requires clearer frameworks on rights, disconnection, and workplace safety.
Digital skills and employment: There is a pressing need to train and support public employees in using digital tools, with strong involvement from both trade unions and employers.
Ethics and AI: The use of Artificial Intelligence in local governance raises new ethical challenges and calls for stronger social partner dialogue.
Smart cities and services: Digitalisation of public services must remain people-centred, focusing on inclusiveness, accessibility, and transparency.

Many national and local social partners have already launched strategies, tools and agreements to manage this transformation, including practical guidelines, awareness-raising events and training programmes.

As Europe enters its Digital Decade, local and regional governments stand at the forefront of this transformation. The “Local, Social, Digital” project reinforces the crucial role of social dialogue in managing digital change, ensuring fair working conditions, and promoting inclusive public services.

CEMR and EPSU call for continued EU support and structured collaboration among employers, trade unions and institutions to empower local administrations in navigating digital change, sustainably, socially, and with dignity.

Read the study here

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Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

BENNIS Hamza In Employment, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Press, Publications, Skills

Funding local services first

Funding and investment in Local Regional Governments must be protected

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Europe’s sectoral social dialogue partners for local and regional government unions are concerned about the review of the EU’s economic governance rules.

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the European Federation of Public Service Trade Unions (EPSU) are concerned that the proposed reduction in public spending will negatively impact the essential services provided by local and regional governments.

The EU institutions are currently reforming the EU economic governance framework. Bruegel Institute calculations indicate that several member states will have to reduce public spending in 2025 and in the coming years, often in the billions of euros, under this mandate.

This would not be the first time the EU sets indications to member states to reduce public spending. The effects of such measures have strongly impacted funding for local and regional governments and, therefore, their ability to provide quality services to citizens. Local governments are first responders to the immediate needs of citizens – they deliver services that allow all our communities to thrive. From public administration to housing and social services, from firefighters to waste collection: underfunding means jeopardising the delivery and quality of services to citizens.

Insufficient funding for local and regional governments exacerbates inequalities and disparities across regions and municipalities, as well as between rural and urban areas. Without adequate resources, local and regional authorities struggle to address pressing issues such as unemployment, labour and skills shortages, working conditions, social inclusion, and the digital and green transition.

Moreover, reductions in public spending hit women harder. Underfunding contributes to the persistence of the gender pay gap in the EU, given that the majority of workers in the sector are women often low pay. In addition, women are more reliant on local public services.

Furthermore, local and regional governments ensure democracy and equal access for all citizens. With just two months until European elections, it is important to recall that underfunding local governments means underfunding our democracies.

We urge European policymakers to carefully assess the implications the economic governance framework reform will have on local and regional governments in the EU. The impact of these rules cannot hinder the ability of local and regional governments to fulfil their mandates and provide essential services to citizens. As sectoral social partners in local and regional governments, we are committed to continue supporting the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights towards a social Europe for all. This economic reform must not constrain this European ambition.

We expect economic governance rules that protect the funding and investment that Local and Regional Governments require to serve their communities with the services which Europe’s citizens deserve.

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Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

BENNIS Hamza In Employment, Employment, EU budget, EU budget, Impact community Cohesion, Impact community Cohesion, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Local finances, Local finances, Press, Publications, Territorial development

Modernising working time rules

Balancing worker protection with flexibility and legal clarity in local public service delivery under the Working Time Directive

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) has responded to the European Commission’s public consultation on the review of the Working Time Directive (WTD), urging the EU to prioritise legal certainty and respect for local autonomy in any future reform.

Unchanged since 2003, the current Directive no longer fully reflects today’s labour realities, especially for local and regional governments as major public employers. While modernisation is welcome, CEMR warns against overreach: the Directive should focus strictly on health and safety, without encroaching on broader employment issues that fall outside the EU’s remit, such as wages, work-life balance, or new working patterns.

In its response, CEMR reaffirms key positions first set out in its 2011 position paper, which remain relevant today. It calls for:

Flexibility for social dialogue: Local social partners are best placed to find tailored solutions through bargaining and agreements that balance worker protection with service continuity.
Clear limits to scope: The Directive must not expand into areas that are either outside EU competence or not directly related to health and safety.
Legal certainty: Any revision should result in simpler, clearer rules that avoid legal ambiguity and reduce the administrative burden on local authorities.

CEMR further stresses that the review must take full account of the impact on local and regional governments’ ability to provide uninterrupted public services, especially in sectors like emergency care and civil protection, where flexible working patterns are essential.

CEMR concludes that no legislative initiative should proceed before the publication of detailed impact assessments and a full analysis of the public consultation. In the meantime, it stands ready to engage in open and constructive dialogue with EU institutions to ensure a balanced approach that works for all levels of governance.

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Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

BENNIS Hamza In Digitalisation, Digitalisation, Employment, Employment, Gender equality, Gender equality, Impact community Labour, Impact community Society, Impact community Society, Migration and inclusion, Migration and inclusion, Press, Publications, Skills, Skills, ,

Social rights, local action

What are the priorities for implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights with a strong local and regional involvement?

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) welcomes the European Pillar of Social Rights as a step toward strengthening fairness and equality in Europe. While supporting its ambition, CEMR stresses that the measures linked to the Pillar’s 20 principles should remain non-binding, respecting the diversity of national, regional and local competences. For local and regional governments, the Pillar should serve as a reference framework to inspire reforms, rather than impose uniform rules.

CEMR identifies key challenges where Europe must act: rising inequality, persistent poverty, gender gaps, and labour market transitions accelerated by digitalisation and COVID-19. Municipalities and regions, as major providers of education, housing, health, social inclusion and employment services, are at the heart of delivering social rights.

CEMR’s policy priorities include:

Skills and education: investment in training, apprenticeships and digital access to avoid a “lost generation” of young people.
Demographic change: integrating women, older workers, migrants, and disadvantaged groups into the labour market.
Gender equality: boosting women’s participation and addressing work-life balance challenges, especially in the pandemic’s aftermath.

At the same time, CEMR warns against excessive bureaucracy or additional reporting obligations for local authorities, calling instead for best practice exchange, benchmarks, and adequate funding.

For the European Pillar of Social Rights to succeed, it must respect subsidiarity, strengthen social dialogue, and involve local and regional governments as essential actors. Municipalities, cities, and regions are indispensable in turning principles into concrete progress, provided they are given the flexibility, resources and recognition needed to deliver.

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Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

BENNIS Hamza In Employment, Employment, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Impact community Society, Impact community Society, Press, Public services, Public services, Publications

The future of public services

Simpler EU rules needed to empower local service delivery

Local and regional governments are central to ensuring quality public services across Europe, from transport to childcare and broadband. Yet complex EU rules on competition and procurement are increasingly challenging their ability to deliver these services effectively.

That’s the core message of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)’s position paper, Strong Public Services through Local Governments.

As Europe reflects on its future, CEMR urges policymakers to recognise local governments not as a problem, but as part of the solution. From climate action to social cohesion, local services are key to implementing EU goals on the ground. However, this contribution risks being undermined by overregulation and limited local autonomy.

“European rules should enable, not obstruct, local governments in meeting community needs,” the paper argues.

CEMR highlights the need to:

Respect subsidiarity and local self-government;

Simplify procurement and state aid procedures;

Allow local authorities to support their economies through ‘buy local’ criteria;

Improve legal clarity for public-public cooperation;

Reform litigation-heavy procurement processes.

Despite burdensome procedures, cross-border procurement remains rare, pointing to a mismatch between regulatory effort and actual impact. A more flexible, proportionate system would support innovation and help local governments better serve their communities.

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Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

Regional actors in economic governance

CEMR–EPSU report maps current involvement of local and regional actors in EU economic governance

The European Semester, created in 2010 in response to the financial crisis, is the EU’s annual cycle for coordinating Member States’ economic, social, employment, and budgetary policies. Its aim is to align national reforms with shared EU objectives, including stability, sustainable growth, and the Europe 2020 strategy.

While central governments and EU institutions remain the main players, the process increasingly affects local and regional governments (LRGs) and their social partners. From public finance and taxation to health, social care and employment, many Semester reforms directly touch the responsibilities of municipalities and regions, as well as the working conditions of the sector’s employees.

The joint CEMR–EPSU project “Localising the European Semester” (2018–2020) set out to better understand and strengthen this involvement. The first deliverable, a background report published in February 2018, provided an overview of the Semester’s development, evidence of how LRGs and social partners are engaged, and identified important gaps in knowledge.

Key findings from the report include:

Limited evidence of structured involvement: While LRGs are often consulted through existing dialogue structures, their influence remains inconsistent across Member States. For social partners, involvement is even less systematic, with sectoral trade unions and employers’ organisations often sidelined in favour of peak-level organisations.
Impact remains unclear: Academic studies assess when countries follow Semester recommendations, for example, during election cycles, under market pressure, or when backed by EU enforcement. However, little research exists on whether reforms are more likely to succeed when LRGs and social partners contribute.
Need for deeper analysis: The extent to which local governments and sectoral social partners shape National Reform Programmes (NRPs) is largely undocumented. Equally, it remains uncertain whether peak organisations fully represent the concerns of the local government sector in national consultations.
Opportunities for good practice: Where involvement does occur, it is often tied to long-standing structures for social dialogue or intergovernmental coordination. The challenge is to turn sporadic consultation into regular, structured dialogue with clear impact.

The report concludes that strengthening the role of LRGs and their social partners in the Semester is both necessary and possible. By documenting experiences, identifying good practices, and pressing for meaningful engagement, the CEMR–EPSU project aims to ensure that the voices of local governments, employers and workers are better reflected in one of the EU’s most powerful policy coordination tools.

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Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

BENNIS Hamza In Employment, Employment, EU budget, EU budget, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Press, Publications

Making the EU semester inclusive

Final declaration of the CEMR–EPSU project calls for stronger involvement of local governments and social partners in the European Semester

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The European Semester, once primarily a tool for economic coordination, has evolved into a wide-ranging policy process that shapes social legislation, EU funding priorities, and the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, its democratic legitimacy remains limited, with insufficient involvement of local and regional governments (LRGs) and their social partners.

From 2018 to 2020, CEMR and EPSU ran the joint project Localising the European Semester with the support of the European Commission. The initiative explored ways to better involve sectoral social partners of local and regional governments in the Semester cycle. Its findings confirm that around 80% of Country Specific Recommendations have a territorial impact, making the engagement of municipalities, cities and regions essential for their effective implementation.

The project demonstrated a growing interest from social partner organisations in contributing to the Semester. However, practices across Member States remain inconsistent, and consultation processes are often too formal to be effective. CEMR and EPSU therefore call for clearer standards and stronger mechanisms to ensure meaningful participation.

Key recommendations include:

Guaranteeing that the views of local and regional social partners are fully taken into account.
Setting EU-wide quality standards for inclusive consultation processes.
Providing dedicated fora and visibility for sectoral social partners in the Semester cycle.
Establishing an ad-hoc grant to support information and consultation at the national level.
Ensuring the Semester becomes an inclusive framework for achieving the SDGs.

CEMR and EPSU underline that municipalities, cities and regions are vital socio-economic actors, delivering investments, growth and high-quality services. To strengthen the legitimacy and impact of the European Semester, EU institutions and national governments must involve them, and their social partners, much more closely. Only by doing so can the Semester live up to its promise of supporting sustainable and inclusive development across Europe.

Read the declaration here

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Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

BENNIS Hamza In Employment, Employment, Gender equality, Gender equality, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Impact community Society, Impact community Society, Migration and inclusion, Migration and inclusion, Press, Publications

Guidelines for gender equality

Updated CEMR-EPSU framework supports inclusive employment and service delivery

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the European Public Service Union (EPSU) have adopted revised guidelines to help local and regional governments strengthen gender equality in the workplace. These updated guidelines replace the original 2007 version, reflecting new social challenges and priorities, such as the effects of austerity policies and demographic change.

Recognising the central role that municipalities and regions play as employers and service providers, the guidelines provide a practical framework for developing Gender Equality Action Plans (GEAPs). These plans aim to improve working conditions, promote equal career opportunities for women and men, and support a better work-life balance for all staff.

“Gender equality is essential to create fair and resilient communities. Local governments can lead by example,” state the social partners.

The revised guidelines:

Encourage positive action and gender mainstreaming in HR and service provision;

Offer templates and checklists to support the creation of tailored local plans;

Promote cooperation between employers, employees, and trade unions;

Align with existing EU legislation and the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda.

The document also outlines the importance of political backing, training, and long-term commitment to ensure successful implementation. CEMR and EPSU plan to assess the impact of these updated guidelines through the Social Dialogue Committee in 2019.

For municipalities, county councils, and regions, this tool is an opportunity to foster more inclusive, equitable workplaces while meeting broader European goals on gender equality.

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Read full position paper here

Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

BENNIS Hamza In Employment, Employment, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Impact community Society, Impact community Society, Press, Public services, Public services, Publications

Extending social protection rights

CEMR highlights challenges and priorities in ensuring fair access to social protection for all forms of employment

In June 2017, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) responded to the European Commission’s first-phase consultation of social partners on access to social protection within the framework of the European Pillar of Social Rights. CEMR welcomed the initiative but emphasised that further detail is needed to ensure effective and fair implementation across Europe.

CEMR underlined that while improving access to social protection is beneficial, implementation must remain balanced between workers’ rights and employers’ needs. The organisation cautioned that additional measures, such as parental leave provisions under the Work-Life Balance Directive, may create significant costs for local governments and should be carefully planned.

A key challenge lies in ensuring similar social protection rights for similar work, while recognising that not all workers lacking access face the same risks. The main issue arises when individuals have no coverage at all, not when they are already protected through another job.

For self-employed workers, CEMR identified several priority areas for EU action under social protection, including:

sickness and accident-at-work benefits,
old-age and invalidity benefits,
maternity and paternity benefits.

In terms of employment services, CEMR stressed the importance of strengthening guidance, counselling, training, and reintegration measures to support workers in transition.

While CEMR agreed that all self-employed workers should, in principle, be included in such an initiative, it pointed out the particular difficulties faced by small and micro-businesses. A tailored approach is needed, with careful assessment of different employment types.

CEMR reaffirmed that responsibility for social policy and social insurance design remains with Member States, and that self-governance by social partners must be respected. Any EU initiative on access to social protection should therefore act as a framework for guidance and support, while preserving national competencies and diversity.

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