The European Commission presented on Wednesday a proposal for a directive to improve the pay and working conditions of interns in the EU. The text introduces in particular a principle of non-discrimination between trainees and regular employees. It thus intends to guarantee that trainees are treated equally to other employees in terms of working conditions and remuneration, unless a differentiation is "justified by objective reasons, such as different tasks, lesser responsibilities, intensity of work or the weight of the learning and training component.
The draft directive, which still needs to be negotiated with EU member states and the European Parliament, provides for checks and inspections in companies to ensure that internships are not misused to mask regular jobs. Employers will have to communicate to the authorities the number and duration of internships they use. The text must allow worker representatives to engage on behalf of trainees to defend their rights. It also plans to require member states to set up communication channels for trainees to report possible abuse.
“Internships can be a great way for young people to gain their first professional experience, learn new skills and develop their network. However, they must be quality internships, which means they must have a clear learning objective, they must be paid and the trainees can benefit from mentoring,” said the Commissioner. Employment Nicolas Schmit. The European Union had around 3.1 million interns, including 1.6 million paid, in 2019, the latest year with reliable data available.