Where a company or group employs above a threshold number of employees across the European Economic Area, with a minimum number in each of at least two member states, employees have the right to request a European Works Council. It handles transnational matters that national works councils cannot.
What it is for
Its remit is specifically transnational: matters affecting the workforce in more than one member state, such as restructuring, relocations, mergers and collective redundancies spanning countries. It has rights to information and consultation, and must be consulted before decisions are implemented rather than informed afterwards.
- Established by negotiated agreement, with fallback rules if negotiation fails
- Sits alongside, not instead of, national works councils
- Rules have been strengthened over time on enforcement and access to remedies
Why it matters when hiring internationally
This is a threshold obligation that arrives with growth rather than at the outset, and it is triggered by headcount across countries rather than by any decision the company makes. A group approaching the thresholds should know it is approaching them, because a restructuring announced without the required consultation can be delayed or challenged.