On 19 June 2025, the Council of the European Union, chaired by Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, adopted a general approach to the traineeship directive. The aim of the directive is first and foremost to eliminate so-called 'false internships' - situations in which people formally employed as interns do real work, often without any contract, without pay and without the rights to which employees are entitled. This is an important step towards better protection of trainees across the European Union.

The adopted Directive introduces a number of measures to improve conditions for internships and eliminate abuses. One of the key tenets is the principle of non-discrimination, which guarantees that trainees are treated equally with comparable employees of the same workplace - especially with regard to working conditions, including pay. The Directive obliges Member States to carry out effective checks and inspections to identify and combat false internships and to ensure the enforcement of labour laws.

The adoption of the general approach crowns a long period of negotiations in the Council, which did not bear fruit under previous presidencies. This is not only a success of the Polish Presidency, but also an example of compromise. The draft takes into account both the demands of countries wanting greater protection for interns and those indicating the need to avoid excessive regulation that may discourage employers from organising internships.

 As the Presidency, we have made every effort to find a compromise that reflects the objective of the Directive: to improve and enforce the working conditions of interns and to combat false internships, while maintaining the necessary flexibility for the different national systems.

- said minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk.

The next step in the work on the directive will be the so-called Trilogues - negotiations between the Commission, Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

In addition to the internship directive, ministers discussed a new action plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights and the EU's first anti-poverty strategy. The Council also approved the recommendations to Member States for 2024-2025, prepared as part of the European Semester. The Council also adopted conclusions drafted by Poland on supporting older people in reaching their full potential in the labour market and society.

This was the last session of the EPSCO Council under Polish chairmanship. The work initiated by Poland will now be taken over by Denmark, which will take over the Council Presidency on 1 July.