Brussels urges the CJEU to fine Spain for ignoring labor conditions regulations.

BrusselsBrussels has grown tired of warning Spain that it must transpose the globality of the European Union's Working Conditions Directive And this Wednesday, it announced that it will urge the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to fine the State for failing to comply with this obligation. Specifically, the European Commission accuses Spain of failing to approve measures requiring companies to inform their workers "fully and promptly" about the "essential aspects" of their working conditions, such as working hours or pay.

These types of proceedings by the European Commission against member states are very common, but it is not so common for the EU executive to take the case to the European courts and, furthermore, directly request the imposition of a financial penalty. The fact is that Brussels already sent a warning letter to Spain years ago, in September 2022, and has subsequently issued several warnings. In fact, it should have been transposed by August 2022 at the latest. However, according to the European Commission in a statement issued this Wednesday, "the efforts of the [Spanish] authorities have been insufficient," referring to the allegations and measures taken by the Ministry of Labor.

On the other hand, the European Commission also sent another letter of request this Wednesday urging Spain to end the tax discrimination applied to the homes of non-resident taxpayers, who pay an income tax of 2% of the cadastral value of their primary residences, while resident taxpayers have no imputation. In this sense, Brussels denounces that this practice affects the free movement of workers and capital.

Another warning from the European Commission in Spain concerns the failure to transpose the European directive on drinking water into national law, including regulations to prevent accidents involving hazardous substances in industrial facilities.