Too Little, too slow? Social Reforms and Workers Rights in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine

Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have committed themselves to minimum social standards – particularly in the field of labor legislation – through their Association Agreements (AA) with the EU. For several reasons, however, the implementation in this field falls significantly short. Basically, there is no accountability as the EU does not focus on the social dimension of the AAs with regards to the employment policies in the countries. The EU’s implementation assessments hardly address social issues at all. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung brought together civil society and trade union representatives, experts and academics from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to discuss the most pressing issues regarding employment conditions. The result of the workshop is summarized in a comparative paper showing the lack of the implementation of the commitments of the three states in the social field. The aim of the paper is to raise awareness for the partly appalling working conditions in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine as well as to formulate concrete policy recommendations for the three countries.

Contact: Marco.Schwarz(at)fes-europe.eu