Spain and Romania have taken a new step to strengthen cooperation by signing an agreement on April 23rd, 2026 with support from the European Labour Authority (ELA).
The cooperation agreement aims at enhancing protection for workers of Romanian nationality residing and working in Spain, as well as Romanian posted workers who temporarily provide services in Spain.
Moreover, this initiative underlines the importance of cooperation between national authorities, as ELA considers it essential to guarantee workers’ rights while also supporting fair competition among businesses.
Socioeconomic context
Spain’s labour market has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. It shifted from being traditionally marked by emigration to one that attracts workers from abroad. The growing presence of foreign workers reflects this change, as today they make up around 14% of the workforce.
Within this diverse labour force, Romanian nationals represent the largest group of EU workers in Spain, with approximately 340,000 individuals.
In addition, these workers are particularly vulnerable. A large portion of them is employed in low-skilled jobs, more prone to insecurity and irregularity. Moreover, the lack of knowledge of labour regulations and the difficulty in understanding the language make it difficult for them to access labour rights.
Content and objectives
The action plan includes a variety of measures, among which:
- provision of information in Romanian on labour rights and obligations;
- implementation of actions to raise awareness among employers and workers about the importance of complying with labour and social security regulations;
- simplification of access to the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate for Romanian workers;
- organization of joint inspections, focusing on sectors with a higher presence of Romanian workers. This measure also serves the purpose of tackling fraudulent practices, such as letterbox companies.
All the proposed actions aim to comprehensively improve the current situation of Romanian mobile workers in Spain, offering both preventive measures and awareness campaigns, as well as effective implementation through coordinated and joint activities.