EU Parliament pushes Commission to legislate on workplace psychosocial risks

In a decisive parliamentary vote, the European Parliament adopted a legislative-initiative report demanding that the European Commission propose EU-wide regulations on psychosocial risks, stress and mental health at work, and recognize related occupational diseases. The resolution passed with 413 votes in favour, 210 against and 29 abstentions, but the adopted wording is less ambitious than the committee version, asking first for an impact assessment and removing a legal presumption of work-related causality.

It stresses that employers must conduct thorough assessments of workload, working time, autonomy and role clarity, with active participation from workers' representatives, and act on the results. While employer organisations argue that the existing occupational safety and health framework, reinforced by guidance and social dialogue, should remain the basis, two Commission peer reviews have concluded that many Member States view current duties as insufficient and call for clearer rules and stronger enforcement, especially for SMEs. The Commission now has three months to respond while drafting the Quality Jobs Act, which could incorporate or omit these measures.