Bratislava (source: Jozef Jakubčo, Sme)
Slovakia is not the only country that would like to host the headquarters of the European Labour Authority (ELA), announced by the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in 2017.
The European Council published the offers submitted by four EU countries on its website on May 13. Latvia, Bulgaria and Cyprus are all interested, besides Slovakia, in having the ELA set up in their country, the Council's press release reads.
The new authority is said to be up and running in 2019 and should be fully operational by 2023, as written on the European Commission's website.
The future ELA is to provide information on rights and obligations to employers and employees, as well as support cooperation between EU countries in the enforcement of EU law in the area of joint inspections, labour mobility and social security coordination, as written in the press release.
June 13
The European Commission will now evaluate the offers on the basis of several criteria. For example, the EC will consider geographical balance, education facilities for the children of ELA workers, and accessibility of the location, among other things, when assessing offers.
Slovakia has suggested the ELA be located in the building on Landererova 12 in the centre of Bratislava, which will be available from October 2019, the Sme daily reported.
Representatives of EU countries will make a decision, by common agreement, on June 13 in Luxembourg. Before the agreement, a vote will be taken at the meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) on the same day, as written in the Council's press release.
