site.btaBulgarian Industrial Association: "EU Must Keep Workers' Posting Framework As It Is"

Sofia, August 29 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) insists on keeping the existing EU Posted Workers Directive unchanged, the employers' organization said in a position on Tuesday.

According to the BIA, the Posted Workers Directive and its implementing provide the framework necessary to guarantee the free provision of services EU-wide while adequately protecting posted workers.

The BIA sees the proposal to amend the Directive as an attack against the single market and undermining the competitive position of foreign service providers. "If the amendments are adopted, this would impede cross-border trade and, therefore, the common growth and job creation, as well as cohesion in the EU," the Association argued.

In the BIA's option, the introduction of protectionist measures under the guise of "reforming" the labour market in the EU and combating "social dumping" is a step towards disintegration of the single market, selective application of the rules to the new Member States, and abandonment of competition.

"Such gross interference in the national legislation of the individual countries opens the door to future claims, including the successive raising of the issue of 'tax dumping', 'social security dumping', 'health dumping', etc., which would crush the foundation of the common European market and calls into question the concept of its founders," the BIA stated.

According to the employers, "political promises should not be at the expense of the free European market and competition. Such key decisions cannot be made without a consensus among the stakeholders at both national and Europewide level."

The Posted Workers Directive reform was on the agenda of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Bulgaria last Friday.