Can the European Union impose a minimum wage ?
Guest Speaker : Prof. Thorsten Schulten (Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen and WSI)
When ? Thursday 23 October 2025, 12h00-13h00 PM (EDT)
Where ? In person at the CRIMT-UdeM (3744 Jean-Brillant, Suite 411, Montreal) or Online (on Zoom)
The seminar is free, but registration is mandatory.
In person: If you wish to attend in person, please send an email to Geneviève Richard (research professional at CRIMT) at genevieve.richard.3@umontreal.ca. Lunch will be served to those present at the CRIMT offices – kindly specify any allergies or dietary restrictions in your email.
Online: If you wish to attend remotely, please register through the following link to receive the Zoom link
Adopted in 2022, the directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union is now being challenged by member countries. This directive did not aim to impose a minimum wage rate – however, it established criteria for assessing the adequacy of minimum wages and encouraged social dialogue. The directive required member states with less than 80% collective bargaining coverage to develop concrete action plans by the end of 2025 to strengthen the capacity of trade unions and employers’ organizations and to provide institutional support for sectoral minimum wage negotiations.
What are the results of this directive? What institutional frameworks facilitate its implementation? What are the chances of success for the legal challenge?
Thorsten Schulten is an honorary professor at the Institute of Political Science at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen in Düsseldorf. He regularly collaborates with the Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut (WSI) (the Institute of Economic and Social Research) on issues of collective bargaining and sectoral social dialogue.
