Hungarian presidency undermines protections for unpaid interns in EU

In Brussels, on December 2, 2024, EU ministers discussed the proposal aimed to end free internships. The European Commission's original directive intended to establish that trainees should be regarded as workers. However, the Hungarian rotating presidency of the EU Council introduced a compromise proposal that significantly diluted these objectives, covering only 22 percent of traineeships and removing obligatory remuneration. This move was met with resistance from a coalition of countries led by Spain and Germany, who advocated for stronger protections for interns. Meanwhile, France and Italy supported the Hungarian proposal, viewing it as a clearer approach. The surrounding discussions indicate a deep divide among member states regarding how to implement protections for interns effectively. The European Parliament had previously called for an end to free internships in June 2023, asserting the need for better conditions for young workers. Despite this, the proposal by Hungary faced substantial criticism. The EU Commission executive vice president in charge of labor and skills, Roxana Minzatu, condemned the Hungarian text, arguing that it sat far from the original goals set forth by the Commission, effectively leaving 60 percent of interns unprotected under the directive. Looking forward, the impending Polish presidency of the EU Council is tasked with addressing the deadlock among member states. The Commission emphasized the necessity to align traineeships with the quality standards of other jobs, advocating for equal treatment of trainees. As the situation stands, member states remain at an impasse regarding the best way to support young professionals in the labor market, leaving over 4 million young Europeans facing uncertainty about their rights and working conditions. Additionally, the discourse partially reveals broader issues that have plagued the EU's labor market welfare strategies and how differing national interests can stall progress on issues of significant importance to youth employment. Suitably, the debates that continue within the European Parliament seem geared towards finding a methodological resolution, although a concrete framework remains far off as the timeline for discussions stretches into the next spring. Consequently, the failure to finalize the directive raises questions about the EU's commitment to improving labor conditions for young people while simultaneously grappling with divergent interests of member countries.