Fraudulent Contracting of Work: Abusing Traineeship Status (Austria, Finland, Spain and UK)

[Eurofound) In recent years, traineeships have become an important entry point into the labour market for young people across Europe. As outlined in a Flash Eurobarometer report (European Commission, 2013a), more young people report having done a traineeship (46%) than an apprenticeship or student job (both 26%). The report also shows that traineeships particularly apply to those aged between 25 and 29 (50%) but also those aged 30–34 (43%), with traineeships being more common among those who have graduated from university. However, European and national stakeholders express growing concern regarding abuses of the system, poor working conditions and fraudulent practices, including the replacement of regular workers with trainees. A European Commission proposal for a quality framework for traineeships noted evidence of traineeships providing insufficient learning content (for example, trainees being asked to carry out menial tasks) and offering inadequate working conditions, with long working hours, unsatisfactory coverage in terms of health and safety and occupational risks, and little or no remuneration or compensation (European Commission, 2013b)

Quality of Life, Public Services and the Crisis

This issue of Foundation Focus looks at impacts of the crisis on quality of life in Europe. Has quality of life worsened? Have all sections of society borne the impact equally, or have some ill-favoured groups been particularly affected? How do European citizens rate the quality of their public services since the onset of the crisis? Do these services – such as healthcare and childcare – do the job that is asked of them? If not, how can public services and the European welfare state change to meet a new reality? And what of the public sector workers who are responsible for the delivery of many of these services: how has their working situation changed since 2008

The Policy and Regulatory Environment for Organic Farming in Europe

Organic Farming is one of the key issues in reshaping European agricultural policy. This book clarifies the policy and regulatory environment within which organic farming currently operates in all EU-15 member states and in three non-EU countries (Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic). European and national regulations and their implementation are reviewed. Focus is led on agri-environmental and mainstream agricultural support measures, marketing and regional development programmes, certification systems and organic farming support in the form of advice, training and research. The book aims at policy makers, the private sector, researchers and students in the field of economics and politics of organic farming

Price Effects of Regulation: Telecommunications, Air Passenger Transport and Electricity Supply

Price Effects of Regulation draws on research undertaken at the OECD to quantify the effects of domestic regulatory regimes on prices in up to 50 economies for 3 sectors — international air passenger transport, telecommunications and electricity supply. The study finds wide variations in regulatory regimes across economies for each sector. The results suggest a positive relationship between the stringency of regulatory regimes and higher prices in each sector. For example, the bilateral system of restrictions on the number of air passenger flights between countries and the conditions under which they operate are estimated to collectively increase airfares by between 3 and 22 per cent.regulation - price effects - telecommunications - air transport - airlines - electricity - trade restrictions

Love thy neighbour? Coronavirus politics and their impact on EU freedoms and rule of law in the Schengen Area. CEPS Paper in Liberty and Security in Europe No. 2020-04, April 2020

Restrictions on international and intra-EU traffic of persons have been at the heart of the political responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Border controls and suspensions of entry and exist have been presented as key policy priorities to prevent the spread of the virus in the EU. These measures pose however fundamental questions as to the raison d’être of the Union, and the foundations of the Single Market, the Schengen system and European citizenship. They are also profoundly intrusive regarding the fundamental rights of individuals and in many cases derogate domestic and EU rule of law checks and balances over executive decisions. This Paper examines the legality of cross-border mobility restrictions introduced in the name of COVID-19. It provides an in-depth typology and comprehensive assessment of measures including the reintroduction of internal border controls, restrictions of specific international traffic modes and intra-EU and international ‘travel bans’. Many of these have been adopted in combination with declarations of a ‘state of emergency’

Liberalisation of the European services market and its impact on Switzerland

The European Commission's 2004 proposals for a Services Directive consists of measures to reduce or eliminate the obstacles of cross-border trade of services by introducing the 'country of origin' principle. It implies that regulation of the country of origin is relevant, and that the country of destination has no right to impose new regulation. Our results indicate that the introduction of the 2004 EU services directive in Switzerland would very much intensify the economic relations between the service industries of Switzerland and the European Union. We have investigated the direct effects of mutual liberalisation of services markets. These are positive, both for Switzerland and the EU. Swiss exports of commercial services to the EU could increase by 40 to 84 per cent, while Swiss foreign direct investment stocks in EU services industries could increase by 20 to 41 per cent. EU services exports to Switzerland may rise by 41 to 85 per cent, while EU direct investment stocks in Swiss service markets could rise by 29 to 55 per cent. This report estimates the quantitative economic implications of a possible decision by the Swiss government to fully adopt the European Commission proposals for a services directive.

The Scarring Effect of the 2008 Economic Crisis: Growth and Growth Decline in Austria’s Nonprofit Social Services Sector

Since the 2008 economic crisis, social service providers worldwide have reported funding cuts, while the need for some social services has been increasing. This paper examines the combined and longer-term effects of such divergent developments on the nonprofit social services sector. The empirical analysis uses Austrian administrative data on six subfields of the sector covering the years 2003–2017. We investigate significant changes in the trends of four growth indicators applying interrupted time series analysis. We find that the 2008 economic crisis is associated with persistently lower growth rates in Austria’s nonprofit social services sector. The magnitude of this dampening effect differs across subsectors. Additionally, our findings suggest an increase in market concentration. Hence, the study discloses a long-term scarring effect of the economic crisis on Austria’s social services sector, raising doubts on the sector’s future resilience

Information Society Strategies in the European Context: The Case of Greece

This article sets out to analyze the policies adopted by the Greek government in its effort to accelerate the pace of reform towards a knowledge-based economy. These policies have to take into account the position that the country occupies within the emerging information society and, of course, the opportunities created by EU initiatives that aim to promote economic competitiveness and reduce regional disparities. Within this framework Greek policy makers have recognized the need for a coordinated, coherent and integrated approach, which attempts to diminish inequalities both within the country and with respect to other European Union economies. What emerges as a distinctive feature of the Greek information society strategy is the emphasis placed on the pivotal role of the state and the adoption of active interventionist policies