The European Labour Authority (ELA) plays a pivotal role in fair labour mobility within the EU, according to the first Commission evaluation of ELA’s five years of activity.
With over 14 million EU citizens working and living in a Member State other than their own, ELA’s support to fair mobility and social security coordination remains crucial.
Between 2019 and 2023, ELA assisted Member States in 168 cross-border labour inspections, checking the situation of more than 13,500 workers in high-risk sectors like transport, construction and agriculture.
The evaluation also identifies areas for improvement, including:
- reinforcing the competences on concerted and joined inspections
- tackling situations regarding third country nationals within the EU
- capacity in processing personal data
- simplifying and facilitating access to mediation procedure
Background
The European Labour Authority was established in July 2019 to ensure the fair, simple and effective enforcement of EU labour mobility rules and social security. The Commission must evaluate ELA’s performance every five years, providing a critical assessment of the Agency’s work and effectiveness. To support the evaluation, the Commission had conducted a public consultation in 2024.
Report from the Commission: Evaluation of the European Labour Authority (ELA)
Commission Staff Working Document: Evaluation of the European Labour Authority (ELA)
