ELA

The European Labour Authority (ELA) is a European Union Agency responsible for coordinate and support the implementation of European labour lawensuring that EU rules on labour mobility and social security coordination are applied in a fair and effective manner.

“We must ensure that all EU rules on labour mobility are applied fairly, simply and effectively by a new European inspection and enforcement body.»: This was part of the speech of Jean Claude Juncker in 2017, in which he announced the future creation of a European Labour Authority.

La Free movement of workers and the free provision of services They are two of the fundamental principles of the Union since its creation: they involve, among other things, the right to work in another Member State and to be treated in the same way as nationals of that State, as well as the right of any company to provide services in any Member State, displacing its workers for that purpose when necessary.

In order to ensure that the exercise of these freedoms is exercised fairly and with respect for workers’ rights, there has been, since 2019, the European Labour Authority, based in Bratislava (Slovakia).

Its regulation is to be found in Regulation (EU) 2019/1149 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 establishing the European Labour Authority, amending Regulations (EC) No 883/2004, (EU) No 492/2011 and (EU) 2016/589 and repealing Decision (EU) 2016/344.

Its main mission is to ensure that EU rules on labour mobility are effectively implemented.

• A Board of Directors that is composed of:
  • One member from each Member State.
  • 2 members of the European Commission.
  • An independent expert appointed by the European Parliament.
  • 2 representatives of trade unions and 2 of employers' organisations at community level.

• A stakeholder group, composed of two representatives from the European Commission and 10 community representatives from community-level trade unions and employers’ organisations representing sectors particularly affected by cross-border labour mobility.

• An executive director, responsible for the implementation of the powers of the Authority.

• It facilitates access to information on labour mobility for individuals, companies and social partners.
• It coordinates the European Employment Services Network (EURES), which operates in 31 countries (all EU members plus Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and provides services to workers, employers and any citizen wishing to benefit from the principle of free movement of persons, providing information and advice on job offers and applications.
• It coordinates cross-border inspections between Member States.
• Provides mediation services to Member States in labour mobility disputes.
• It collaborates with trade unions and employers’ organisations in the field of labour mobility and social security.
• It facilitates cooperation and the exchange of information among Member States.

Given Spain’s firm commitment to the European Union, the OEITSS works very closely with ELA, creating the Special Coordination Unit on Combating Fraud in Transnational Work (Eumobility), within the National Anti-Fraud Office, made up of inspectors specialized in labour mobility issues, which, among other functions, serves as a link between the OEITSS and the ELA.

In addition, the Special Coordination Unit on Combating Fraud in Transnational Labour (Eumobility) aims to coordinate all actions related to the phenomenon of intra-Community labour mobility.

This mobility includes the Directives and Regulations on the free movement of persons, coordination of social security systems, movement of workers within the freedom to provide services and the sectoral rules on international road transport, as provided for in Article 1.4 of Regulation 1149/2019), of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 establishing the European Labour Authority.

Page of ELA: https://www.ela.europa.eu/en