European Courts Tighten Workplace Protections as Germany Pursues Ambitious Cost-Cutting in Care Insurance

EU sues 10 states over lead/diisocyanate limits; Spain tightens psychosocial & weather rules; Germany strengthens pregnancy protection and slashes care insurance by €11B.

The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against ten member states that failed to transpose Directive (EU) 2024/869 on occupational exposure limits for lead and diisocyanates. The deadline expired on 9 April 2026, and the infringement cases mark an escalation in Brussels' enforcement of workplace safety rules. Meanwhile, a wave of separate reforms and court rulings across Europe and beyond is reshaping employer obligations in areas ranging from psychosocial risks to pregnancy protection.

In Spain, companies are preparing for a sweeping overhaul of the country's occupational health and safety law, scheduled to take effect on 2 January 2027. The reform places new emphasis on psychosocial hazards such as digital availability and workplace stress, and strengthens protections against extreme weather events. Businesses with more than 300 employees will be required to establish in-house prevention services. The Spanish changes follow a pattern seen elsewhere in Europe: the Swiss Trade Union Federation (SGB) has highlighted that only 46 percent of Swiss companies conduct systematic risk assessments, compared to 77 percent in the European Union. The economic damage from presenteeism and absenteeism in Switzerland is estimated in the billions.

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Germany’s Federal Labour Court (BAG) issued a landmark ruling in spring 2025 that strengthens dismissal protection for pregnant employees. The court held that a claim for protection against dismissal may still be admitted after the standard three-week deadline if the woman only learns of her pregnancy later. The decisive factor is a medical confirmation, not merely a positive pregnancy test.

On the financial side of workplace health, German Health Minister Nina Warken presented a savings package for long-term care insurance in early June 2026, targeting annual cuts of around €11 billion. The draft foresees stricter assessments for care grades and extends the waiting period for higher home-care subsidies from twelve to 18 months. Starting in 2027, the contribution assessment ceiling will rise by €300 per month, and childless individuals will pay a contribution rate of 4.3 percent. The German Trade Union Federation (DGB) and municipal umbrella organisations have sharply criticised the plans. DGB chair Yasmin Fahimi called it a “pure savings package at the expense of the insured.” A particularly contentious point is the proposed reduction of pension contributions for caregiving relatives to 70 percent of the previous level. Burkhard Jung, president of the German Association of Cities, warned that municipalities would face additional burdens. Health insurers, however, have backed the austerity measures.

International developments also featured prominently. At the 14th Trade Union Congress in Vietnam on 5 June 2026, Health Minister Dao Hong Lan said the country aims to expand occupational health checks to cover 100 percent of workers. Currently, around 70 percent of companies comply with the regulations. The data will be linked to an electronic health record system. Union representatives are also pushing for a reduction in working hours from 48 to 44 or 40 per week. The push follows 7,004 workplace accidents and 658 fatalities nationwide in 2025. Better food safety checks in canteens and more preventive examinations for pregnant women are also on the agenda.

Finally, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) reported progress on REACH compliance. A five-year review shows that more than 45,000 existing REACH dossiers have been updated, representing 46 percent of all active registrations. Data quality, however, remains a challenge.