European Labour Authority (ELA): Labour Mobility and Exploitation Handled at EU Level.

How is labour mobility and exploitation by the European Labour Authority? Read more on the labour mobility and exploitation.

About 17 million European citizens currently live or work in another EU Member State – twice as many as a decade ago.

The EU has developed a substantial body of legislation, however, effectively enforcing EU rules across the Member States requires structured cooperation and exchange between competent national authorities, as well as resources for common activities, such as organising joint inspections or training national staff to deal with cross-border cases.

The EU believes that this requires an European approach to fraud and exploitation and has introduced the European Labour Authority (ELA).

What Is the European Labour Authority?

The European Labour Authority (ELA) monitors compliance regarding European labour laws at a national and European level and will support EU Member States in informing citizens and employees about the rights and obligations of cross-border work.

The right to national or cross-border inspections continues to apply at a national level in country. However, the ELA can make a proposal for a joint inspection when a suspected fraud or abuse case is suspected.

The European Labour Authority office will be located in the Slovak capital Bratislava.

The Authority was established on July 31, 2019 and the activities have started mid-October with the first meeting of the ELA Management Board.

The ELA is expected to reach its full operational capacity by 2024.

Mission of the European Labour Authority

The mission of the European Labour Authority (ELA) is to:

  • Ensure EU rules on labour mobility and social security coordination are enforced in a fair, simple and effective way.
  • Make it easier for citizens and businesses to reap the benefits of the internal market.
  • Assist national authorities in cooperating for the effective enforcement of the rules.

The EU member states remain responsible and are not required to participate in the activities of the ELA. However, national labour inspectorates must start functioning at European level.

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