What we do
Every six months, an EU Member State takes on the presidency of the Council of the EU, helping to ensure the smooth running of the EU legislative process. Those Member States holding the presidency work together in a ‘trio’ to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work in the Council and to prepare a common agenda over an 18-month period. They agree on the topics to address during the period and set longer-term goals. Each Member State hosting the presidency prepares a more detailed six-month programme.
Eurofound is committed to improving living and working conditions in the EU. The Agency plays a unique role in providing expertise to support the EU institutions and bodies, Member States and social partners in shaping and implementing social, employment and work-related policies, based on national-level and comparative research.
As part of this, the Agency collaborates with the rotating trio of presidencies of the Council of the EU, providing evidence-based knowledge and expertise at various levels.
Eurofound provides its expertise for a range of presidency events such as the informal meeting of employment and social affairs ministers (EPSCO), the EU Employment Committee (EMCO) and the EU Social Protection Committee (SPC), as well as presidency conferences and other meetings.
At the request of the presidency, Eurofound prepares background papers or contributes knowledge for high-level meetings or events, as well as customised reports drawing on the findings of existing research. Eurofound staff participate as speakers, moderators or chairs at such events. In addition, Eurofound's work can help to inform the Presidency Council Conclusions. Some examples of our contributions are linked below under each presidency.
Financial information
In line with the priorities of each presidency, Eurofound can provide valuable evidence from a range of its ongoing research topics linked to employment, social and work-related policies. These include social dialogue, the impact of the green transition on employment, energy poverty and the cost of living, the European Child Guarantee, skills, flexibility in the workplace, boosting women’s labour market participation, platform work, youth unemployment and NEETs, as well as the EU social investment package.
The current presidency trio is made up of Poland, Denmark and Cyprus.
Austria2 November 2024
Polish presidency: January–June 2025
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Sara Riso
Research managerSara Riso is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. She is involved in research projects in the areas of employment change and restructuring.
Jorge Cabrita
Senior Research ManagerJorge Cabrita is a senior research manager in the Working Life unit. He is responsible for formulating, coordinating and managing European-wide research, and promoting the dissemination of findings in the areas of working conditions and industrial relations. His main research areas of interest include working conditions and job quality, working time and work–life balance, workers’ health and well-being, gender equality and the socioeconomic impacts of the transition to a climate-neutral economy. He is currently leading research on working time developments and on social dialogue and collective bargaining during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, he worked as a researcher at the Centre for Studies for Social Intervention and at the Research Centre on the Portuguese Economy of the Lisbon School of Economics, and as a trainer and consultant in the areas of strategic management, organisational communication, leadership and team building. He holds a BSc in Economics and an MSc in Socio-Organisational Systems of Economic Activity from the Lisbon School of Economics.
Living and working in Europe
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