Safeguarding workers' rights is a prerequisite for quality jobs, fair labour mobility, and sustained competitiveness. The key challenge lies in ensuring that these rights are effectively realised in practice. This was the central message Peter van Rooij, ILO Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, delivered at the Informal Meeting of EU Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs (EPSCO).
Speaking during a plenary session on "How the EU's implementation and enforcement agendas support real protections for workers", van Rooij presented an ILO background paper prepared at the request of the Irish EU Presidency. The paper, titled "Effective enforcement of labour standards: governance, labour inspection and the protection of migrant workers", underscores the link between robust enforcement mechanisms and fair competition, productivity and cross-border labour mobility.
The meeting, hosted in Ballina, marks one of the first events of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
"Across Europe, Member States are seeking to advance quality jobs, fair labour mobility, competitiveness, and productivity," van Rooij noted. "Yet none of these objectives can be fully achieved unless the rights that exist on paper are realised in practice. Enforcement is a key pillar of labour market governance."
The ILO Regional Director underlined three key messages from the background paper.
First, effective enforcement of labour legislation protects both workers and competitiveness. Europe has the world's highest level of ratification of ILO Conventions, and every EU Member State has ratified the Labour Inspection Convention (No. 81). However, van Rooij reminded the delegates that their effective implementation is what ultimately matters.
Compliance with Convention No. 81 is not limited to the conduct of inspections, but part of a broader governance that includes effective labour administration, dispute prevention and resolution, and cooperation with the social partners. Clear, enforceable rules make compliance easier for employers while ensuring that enforcement is focused where it is most needed.
Second, effective enforcement must have a cross-border dimension. Because European labour markets and recruitment channels are deeply interconnected, cooperation between labour inspectorates and coordinated enforcement are essential. The ongoing work of the European Labour Authority (ELA) demonstrates the importance of this cooperation.
Third, the real measure of an enforcement system is how it treats vulnerable workers. Migrant workers often face structural barriers to report exploitation, recover unpaid wages or access justice. Enforcement works best when workers trust labour inspectorates and when complaint mechanisms are accessible.
Concluding his address, van Rooij urged ministers to focus on making enforcement smarter, more coordinated and accessible, to support decent work and sustainable economic growth across Europe.
