Global Mobility – European Parliament Resolution to Tackle Abusive Subcontracting and Protect Workers’ Rights

On 12 February 2026, the European Parliament has adopted the non-binding resolution ‘Addressing subcontracting chains and the role of intermediaries in order to protect workers’ rights’ (procedure 2025/2133(INI)), aimed at improving working conditions across complex employment chains in the EU.

Content

The resolution highlights concerns over long and opaque subcontracting chains and labour intermediation that can obscure employer responsibility and facilitate exploitation.

It urges the European Commission to consider stronger EU-wide rules addressing transparency, liability and enforcement in subcontracting relationships, including possible mechanisms for joint and several liability and clearer accountability of intermediaries.

The European Parliament’s resolution acknowledges that subcontracting is a common economic practice, but stresses that gaps in enforcement can leave workers vulnerable, especially in cross-border situations. It calls for enhanced cooperation between national authorities and a stronger role for the European Labour Authority to improve oversight.

Impact

The adopted resolution does not itself change EU law, but obliges the Commission to respond within three months — potentially leading to legislative proposals on labour protection and supply-chain transparency.

Discussions on the resolution in the Parliament reflected a divide: trade unions welcomed the focus on workers’ rights, while some employer groups warned that too-stringent rules could burden businesses and complicate supply chains.