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EU Priorities

The European Council’s Strategic Agenda for 2024–2029, adopted in July 2024, sets out the main priorities to guide the work of the EU institutions over the next five years. On 18 July, Commission President von der Leyen, elected for a second mandate, set out plans for sustainable prosperity and competitiveness in Europe’s twin transition. 

The Commission’s top priorities also reflect the main priorities for the European Parliament and those in the Council’s Strategic Agenda.

Eurofound puts the spotlight on some of the pressing challenges facing the EU over the next five years. 


The Commission’s 2024 work programme outlines the steps in its agenda towards delivering on the ambitions set at the outset of its mandate and further steer the EU towards a sustainable recovery, driven also by the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The 2024 programme lists important legislative proposals across all top priorities. The new Commission took office on 1 December 2024, setting out priorities for 2024–2029 and building on the work of the previous five years. 

The European Year of Skills 2023–2024 concluded on 8 May 2024. The year aimed to raise awareness around skills and the need to improve and develop skills to help companies address skills shortages, while also helping people to get the right skills for good quality jobs by promoting reskilling and upskilling. To support the green and digital transitions, Eurofound research informing the policy debate in this area focuses on skills strategies and digitalisation at workplace level, skills mismatches and labour market slack, as well as employment policies to tackle labour shortages. The European Company Survey and the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey both provide rich data for work on this topic. In the area of working conditions, research related to job quality and the need to improve key elements which will offset some of the issues related to labour shortages is an important contribution to the debate on skills. The research carried out on the impact of COVID-19 on working conditions can also feed into discussions on training and skills development options. 

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Eurofound’s work directly feeds into a number of these key areas and aims to inform effective policies that can lead to recovery and resilience in creating a strong social Europe. This work falls under four main activities in our programming document for 2025–2028.

Polish presidency: January–June 2025

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Polish presidency: January–June 2025

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Explore where Eurofound’s research can provide you with the most current findings relevant to the EU policy priorities 2024–2029.

12 November 2023

Right to disconnect: Implementation and impact at company level

The rise in telework and more flexible working patterns, speeded up by the pandemic, has intensified concerns about an ‘always on’ culture and employees’ constant connection to their workplace, leading them to work additional and often unpaid hours. One of the solutions put forward to help address this issue is the introduction of a right to disconnect. Based on a survey of HR managers and employees, this report explores EU Member States’ legislation around the right to disconnect and assesses the impact of company policies in this area on employees’ hours of connection, working time, work–life balance, health and well-being, and overall workplace satisfaction.

1 November 2024

Gender differences in motivation to engage in platform work

This report describes the employment and social situation of young people in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – the WB6) and also looks at employment in Türkiye.

It focuses on young people because they were particularly hard hit by COVID‐19. It disrupted the quality and quantity of their education and training, and many lost their jobs. As elsewhere, the crisis disproportionately impacted young people’s well-being in the WB6 and Türkiye.

12 November 2023

Right to disconnect: Implementation and impact at company level

The rise in telework and more flexible working patterns, speeded up by the pandemic, has intensified concerns about an ‘always on’ culture and employees’ constant connection to their workplace, leading them to work additional and often unpaid hours. One of the solutions put forward to help address this issue is the introduction of a right to disconnect. Based on a survey of HR managers and employees, this report explores EU Member States’ legislation around the right to disconnect and assesses the impact of company policies in this area on employees’ hours of connection, working time, work–life balance, health and well-being, and overall workplace satisfaction.

12 November 2023

Right to disconnect: Implementation and impact at company level

The rise in telework and more flexible working patterns, speeded up by the pandemic, has intensified concerns about an ‘always on’ culture and employees’ constant connection to their workplace, leading them to work additional and often unpaid hours. One of the solutions put forward to help address this issue is the introduction of a right to disconnect. Based on a survey of HR managers and employees, this report explores EU Member States’ legislation around the right to disconnect and assesses the impact of company policies in this area on employees’ hours of connection, working time, work–life balance, health and well-being, and overall workplace satisfaction.

1 November 2024

Gender differences in motivation to engage in platform work

This report describes the employment and social situation of young people in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – the WB6) and also looks at employment in Türkiye.

It focuses on young people because they were particularly hard hit by COVID‐19. It disrupted the quality and quantity of their education and training, and many lost their jobs. As elsewhere, the crisis disproportionately impacted young people’s well-being in the WB6 and Türkiye.

12 November 2023

Right to disconnect: Implementation and impact at company level

The rise in telework and more flexible working patterns, speeded up by the pandemic, has intensified concerns about an ‘always on’ culture and employees’ constant connection to their workplace, leading them to work additional and often unpaid hours. One of the solutions put forward to help address this issue is the introduction of a right to disconnect. Based on a survey of HR managers and employees, this report explores EU Member States’ legislation around the right to disconnect and assesses the impact of company policies in this area on employees’ hours of connection, working time, work–life balance, health and well-being, and overall workplace satisfaction.

12 November 2023

Right to disconnect: Implementation and impact at company level

The rise in telework and more flexible working patterns, speeded up by the pandemic, has intensified concerns about an ‘always on’ culture and employees’ constant connection to their workplace, leading them to work additional and often unpaid hours. One of the solutions put forward to help address this issue is the introduction of a right to disconnect. Based on a survey of HR managers and employees, this report explores EU Member States’ legislation around the right to disconnect and assesses the impact of company policies in this area on employees’ hours of connection, working time, work–life balance, health and well-being, and overall workplace satisfaction.

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European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies
EU priorities | Eurofound