9 October 2025 marks a great step for employee participation in Europe. The European Parliament has officially adopted the new European Works Council (EWC) Directive, making possible better rights, better procedures and better resources for EWC’s.
This revision responds to years of advocacy by trade unions, EWC members (including many of the EWC-members SBI Formaat is working with), and us experts to make EWC’s more effective and respected in practice.
What’s next?
Member States will probably (depending on the legal processes) have until 2027 to transpose the Directive into national law, with most changes expected to apply from 2028. This gives companies and EWC’s time to prepare, but also raises urgent questions:
- What does this mean for your current EWC agreement?
- How should you prepare for the new legal framework?
- What opportunities does this create for stronger employee voice?
SBI Meeting with FNV on the 7th of November 2025
To help you in this transition SBI Formaat and FNV invite you to a EWC meeting on the 7th of November 2025. For more information send an email to eorservice@sbiformaat.nl. Register now or invite our team to present the results of the vote in the European Parliament.
What to do now?
This Directive is not just a legal update, it’s an important improvement of the possibilities for you as employee representatives in Europe. Let’s ensure that every EWC is ready to take full advantage of these new rights and responsibilities!
Do you not have an EWC and wish to start one? Please contact us!
Written by Arend Hamstra, Leander Boumans and Nick Mok, trainers/advisors EWC Service
Also read the blog Next step of the Europian Parlement towards a new EWC Directive
