Reconciliation of work and family life and collective bargaining in the European Union: An analysis of EIRO articles

Initiatives promoting reconciliation of work and family life have become popular across Europe as part of employment policies as well as social policies dealing, among other things, with the challenges of competitiveness, the renewed Lisbon targets for increased participation in the labour market, and an ageing population. This working paper is based on national reports and an analysis of EIRO articles on the subject. It examines the current position in the 25 EU Member States, Norway and the two acceding countries, Bulgaria and Romania, in terms of legislation and collective bargaining on the issue of the reconciliation of family and work life. It also looks at the positions of the social partners and reviews recent developments at EU level.