Overview
Ireland’s statutory review of its remote work request law found that 94% of requests are approved — but fewer than half of employees know the right exists. The WRC has been instructed to revise and strengthen the Code of Practice. Meanwhile, the Netherlands freelancer crackdown is biting hard, with 25% of freelancers reporting lost assignments and 62,000 fewer self-employed workers counted in 2025.
The UK’s April employment law wave is now imminent — Fair Work Agency, day-one SSP, day-one paternity and parental leave all effective April 6-7. And Spain’s 37.5-hour work week bill was killed in Congress with no timetable for revival.
Country Updates
Spain
37.5-hour work week bill killed in Congress — Amendments by PP, Vox, and Junts effectively ended the bill’s progress. No parliamentary timetable exists for a new attempt. This is now a monitoring year, not a compliance year. Source: Cuatrecasas
United Kingdom
April employment law wave incoming — The biggest UK employment shake-up in years lands April 6-7: the Fair Work Agency launches (merging three enforcement bodies), SSP becomes a day-one right with the lower earnings limit removed (qualifying 1.3M additional employees), and paternity/parental leave becomes a day-one right with no qualifying period. Employment Tribunal procedure rules were also amended on March 2 to handle expected caseload increases. Source: GOV.UK
Ireland
WRC to strengthen remote working code — The statutory review found 94% of remote work requests are approved, but fewer than half of employees know the legal right exists. The government has instructed the WRC to revise the Code of Practice with clearer templates and transparent refusal reasons. Forsa union separately called the law “a lame duck,” preferring collective bargaining over legislation. Source: RTE
Netherlands
Quarter of freelancers lose work under crackdown — 62,000 fewer freelancers were counted in 2025 as enforcement intensified. The Tax Authority can now impose administrative penalties, and the upcoming Wet VBAR law will create a presumption of employment under approximately EUR 33/hour. Source: NL Times
Croatia
Stricter foreign worker rules effective January 1 — Equal pay now required for foreign workers. Residence/work permits extended to 3 years, seasonal permits to 9 months. Closer monitoring of recruitment agencies. Source: Croatia Week
EU-Wide
ESSPASS digital social security pass in development — The European Commission launched a public consultation on a digital social security pass that would put A1 certificates and EHIC cards into smartphone wallets, with real-time cross-border verification. Planned Q3 2026 rollout.
63% of CEOs predict full RTO by end of 2026 — KPMG’s Global CEO Outlook found that nearly two-thirds of CEOs expect a full return to office. But Gallup shows 90% of office workers don’t want full-time office attendance and would consider quitting. European banks average 3.4 in-office days versus 4.2 in North America — none of Europe’s top 15 banks demand 5 full days.
Eurofound: remote work declining despite preferences — Fully remote work dropped from 24% (2022) to 14% (2024); hybrid rose to 44%. On-site increased from 36% to 41%. Workers report wanting more flexibility than they currently have.