On 4 December 2025 the European Commission initiated a first-phase consultation of social partners under Article 154 TFEU on possible direction of EU action to improve working conditions, health and safety at work and implementation of workers’ rights – Quality Jobs Act. Bitkom’s key positions include:
The EU should prioritise initiatives aimed at streamlining regulatory frameworks and fostering competitiveness. To this end, EU action should focus on simplifying labour legislation, for example through an additional omnibus package, and on implementing existing rules within the framework of the planned Quality Jobs Act.
In Bitkom’s view there is currently no need for additional AI specific labour legislation. Existing legislation – notably the AI Act, the General Data Protection Regulation and the Platform Work Directive – already provides comprehensive rules for the deployment and use of AI in the workplace, offering sufficient safeguards for workers' rights and safety. Before introducing new legislation, these frameworks must first be fully implemented and evaluated in terms of their effectiveness, practicality, and impact on European digital innovation and competitiveness.
The definition of “telework” and corresponding regulation in statutory legislation or in collective agreements may vary in different Member States. The EU should take a differentiated view depending on the scope of telework, i.e. whether or not it takes place on a voluntary basis; whether it exclusively takes place in a fixed workplace at the employee’s home; whether it takes place during the entire working time or on a regular or only on an occasional basis. Extending the Workplaces Directive to all off-premises workplaces, including those used for teleworking, would be impracticable and disproportionate. Employers cannot fully equip or effectively monitor compliance with occupational health and safety provisions in workplaces that are outside their legal control and premises.
