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.
European Council: Strategic agenda 2024-2029
European Parliament: Topics
European Union: European Union priorities 2024-2029
European Commission: Political Guidelines 2024-2029
Eurofound puts the spotlight on some of the pressing challenges facing the EU over the next five years.
13 January 2025
Quality of life in the EU in 2024: Results from the Living and Working in the EU e-survey
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.
European Commission: Commission's priorities 2024–2029
European Commission: 2024 Commission work programme – key documents
European Commission: State of the Union addresses
European Council: European Council conclusions, 29-30 June 2023
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.
See related links:
Publication: Becoming adults: Young people in a post-pandemic world
Event 22 November 2023: Skills for jobs
Publication: Fostering skills use for sustained business performance: Evidence from the European Company Survey
Publication: Measures to tackle labour shortages: Lessons for future policy
Blog 27 March 2023: EU lack of labour won't be solved by skills alone: Improving job quality is key
Event 29 March 2023: Where are the shortages, where are the workers? The drivers behind labour shortages in Europe and how to tackle them
Topic: Skills and training
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.
Psychosocial risks to workers' well-being: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic
Polish presidency: January–June 2025
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Psychosocial risks to workers' well-being: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic
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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