The European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research supports the Sustainable Development Goals
Cross-border labour mobility within the European Union has increased significantly over the past decade. Mobile and migrant workers play a vital role in filling labour shortages, particularly in labour-intensive and low-wage sectors such as construction, international road transport, seasonal agriculture, and the hospitality sector (hotel, restaurant, catering). However, this growing reliance on mobile migrant labour is not matched by adequate structures to ensure their protection.
The general objective of this project is therefore to enhance the protection of mobile and migrant workers by:
• expanding and consolidating a transnational counselling network,
• developing tailored counselling and support services,
• and generating robust, evidence-based recommendations for a permanent, EU-wide support structure.
Special emphasis will be placed on the most affected sectors — international road transport, construction, and seasonal work in agriculture and hospitality sector — as well as on addressing the specific needs of posted TCNs.
The project pursues the following specific objectives and measurable outputs:
Objective 1: Conduct a comprehensive mapping of existing counselling services and identify risk factors, gaps and best practices across Europe in four sectors.
Objective 2: Develop evidence-based policy recommendations for a long-term, institutionalised EU-wide counselling structure for mobile and migrant labour.
Objective 3: Expand, consolidate and coordinate a representative transnational counselling network that provides low-threshold support to mobile and migrant workers.
Objective 4: Deliver sector-specific and multilingual counselling, with targeted measures to address the group of posted third-country nationals.
Objective 5: Offer targeted support and capacity building for the counselling centres.
The project therefore integrates couselling services with empirical research.
Component 1: Transnational Counselling Network Counselling centres will be operated in seven countries.
The network will draw on existing structures (e.g. Faire Mobilität) and expand their reach through new partnerships, language skills, and target group specialisation. Coordination ensures cross-border case handling, exchange of good practices, and harmonisation of counselling standards.
Component 2: Scientific Mapping and Policy Recommendations.
The project will carry out a comparative study with the following methods:
• Mapping of existing counselling services in the EU and selected neighbouring countries,
• Identification of risks, gaps and best practices in current support systems,
• Collection of practice-based insights from counselling centres via a questionnaire distributed in 12 countries and 20-30 interviews,
• Development of recommendations for the establishment of a permanent EU-wide counselling structure.
The study will combine desk research, expert interviews, and data collection from counselling centres, and will be carried out by the European Centre in cooperation with all consortium members.
Multilingual counselling (BCMS, Russian/Ukrainian, Romanian, Polish, Bulgarian, Hungarian, German, English).
Four online workshops, 15 peer exchange visits, and two transnational workshops.
Publication of one synthesis report with risk and gap analysis one best practices and new solutions publication, 12 country fiches.
The European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research supports the Sustainable Development Goals