On Thursday, 14 October, the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima assessed the draft directive of the European Union regarding the residential conditions of seasonal workers and requested the Council and the European Parliament in their further discussions to specify the provisions of the new legislative act so that it fully complies with the principle of proportionality. 

„After assessing the draft directive, it was concluded that it complies with the principle of subsidiarity. Particular attention was paid to Article 14, which requires ensuring an adequate standard of living for seasonal workers. We think that this Article should be clarified so that it fully complies with the principle of proportionality,” indicated Mrs. Vaira Paegle, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima. She also pointed out that the subsidiarity and proportionality checks conducted by several other parliaments of EU member states have revealed that this directive does not comply with the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity. 

The directive of the European Parliament and of the Council regarding the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of seasonal employment has been drafted in order to harmonise the EU immigration policy, including regulations regarding seasonal employment. Article 14 of the draft Directive states that EU member states must require employers of seasonal workers to provide evidence that the accommodations of seasonal workers will ensure an adequate standard of living. 

The Treaty of Lisbon gives national parliaments more opportunities to oversee the EU legislation process and to assess the compliance of legislative acts with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. Parliaments of the member states assess whether the intended goals of the EU legislative acts could be achieved by adopting legislative acts on a lower, national, level and whether the EU legislative initiatives do not exceed their initial goals. 

 

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