EFBWW contributed to the social partners’ hearing on the European Commission’s planned Skills Portability Initiative, which aims to facilitate labour mobility for EU citizens and third-country nationals through improved recognition of professional qualifications. The EFBWW is particularly concerned that labour mobility is increasingly being instrumentalised in discussions on competitiveness, housing crisis and cross-border economic activities and promoted as a primary solution to labour shortages in the construction sector, as reflected in initiatives such as the European Single Market Strategy, the Strategy for Housing Construction and the proposed Construction Services Act.
The EFBWW supports the mutual recognition of comprehensive qualifications where it clearly benefits workers, including fair pay and career development. Recognition mechanisms must respect diverse national training systems and avoid one-size-fits-all approaches that risk weakening safety, health, and quality standards. They must be robust, fraud-proof, and prevent the recruitment of unqualified workers or unfair competition.
A worker-centred approach must raise minimum standards and strengthen investment in quality vocational training, not promote fast-track recognition of fragmented skills. EFBWW supports fair labour mobility based on direct employment, equal treatment, and quality working conditions, and rejects the commodification of workers.
Read the full EFBWW positon HERE.