Overview

• Vassiliadis formally opposed the draft reform and announced potential court challenges in Germany and at the EU level.
• He argued that existing collective agreements already exhaust flexibility options and that the reform would only increase employer pressure on non-tariff employees.
• Studies cited by the IG BCE chief indicate that the risk of accidents rises significantly after eight hours of work.
• Employer associations led by BDA president Rainer Dulger maintain that a weekly cap aligns better with digital-age work patterns and supports work–family balance.
• Government ministers and social partners are continuing talks to flesh out the weekly limit’s framework under EU working-time rules.