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14/11/2008European HR news roundup - November 2008

European flag Our latest roundup of news from the Federation of European Employers (FedEE).

EC: Autumn economic forecast
 
The European Commission's autumn economic forecast indicates that GDP growth across the European Union will slow to 0.2 percent in 2009 and the unemployment rate rise by 0.8 percent. However, EU consumer price inflation will fall from 3.9 percent to 2.4 percent. In 2010, GDP is expected to rise by 1.1 percent, although unemployment will continue to worsen due to improvements in labour productivity. In Germany, Europe's largest national economy, no growth is forecast for 2009, although the unemployment rate is expected to remain fairly stable and average earnings are expected to rise from 2.5 percent to 3.1 percent in 2008.

EU: Clarification of applicable law

All employment contracts in the EU signed after 17 December 2008 will be subject to EC Regulation 593/2008 unless they contain a specific 'jurisdiction clause'.

This regulation states that the applicable law for an employment contract is that in force in the country where an employee 'habitually works' - even if they are temporarily assigned to work in another EU member state. If the appropriate jurisdiction cannot be determined in such a way, the applicable law shall be that of the country where they were hired. On rare occasions where the nature of the job 'taken as a whole' does not comply with either of these criteria because the contract is 'connected to another EU member state', then the law of that state will apply.

Czech Republic: Legislative changes in the pipeline

Consultations on further amendments to the Czech labour code will shortly be completed. The proposed changes include increased probationary periods, an extension of fixed-term work limits to three years, a reduction in statutory compensation during the operation of non-compete restrictions and provision for managerial salaries to include an implicit element covering overtime hours.

A new bill on private pension schemes was recently approved in principle by the Czech cabinet. Under this planned bill, current pension funds would be converted into pension companies offering a wide range of services to clients. The obligation to guarantee minimum levels of return on pension funds would be repealed, although an option would exist for a scheme in which the original investment would be fully protected. The full draft bill will be submitted to the cabinet by mid-January 2009 and could come into force as early as January 2010.


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