The High Level Forum provided an opportunity for those gathered to discuss ELI’s recently published Guiding Principles on Implementing Workers' Right to Disconnect. The Principles arose out of a project launched in 2022, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which catapulted the consequential growth in telework and other work arrangements where the physical workplace was replaced by a virtual one.

The 18 December, which was open by ELI President, Prof Dr Pascal Pichonnaz, and Deputy Director-General DG DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Stefan Olsson, brought together representatives of EU Ministries of Justice and of Labour and Supreme Courts from 18 different European countries, as well as representatives of international labour law organisations. The full list of participants is available here.

Among other things, Olsson mentioned that the Commission ‘always values the work of ELI’. He added that ELI’s 10 Guiding principles will be very important in the Commission’s future work in the field and went on to thank ELI for its work.  

Other participants also welcomed the ELI Principles, which aim at guiding legislators and social partners to strike a balance between conflicting rights, to ensure information at individual and collective level, and to promote private enforcement of the right to disconnect.

ELI would like to express its gratitude to the Reporters of the above ELI Proposal, Professor Karine Lempen (University of Geneve) and Professor Luca Ratti (University of Luxembourg), as well as to all those that supported the team in their work and those that attended the event.

To watch a recording of an earlier event on this topic, click here.

Picture: Cover of the principles