Source: European Parliament
The framework Directive on Safety and Health at Work 89/391/EEC[1] covers any occupational risk, physical or psychosocial, and lays down the main principles of prevention and protection against them.
As part of the ongoing review of the Workplace Directive[2], the Commission is looking at the need to update occupational safety and health protections of workers to modern workplaces, and to further address psychosocial risks.
The Commission continuously assesses the need for further updates of the Commission Recommendation concerning the European schedule of occupational diseases[3], including a possible addition of other diseases, however, currently, there are no plans to include burnout in the recommendation.
The Commission is working on several other initiatives to protect mental health, including at work. In 2023 the Commission adopted the communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health[4], with 20 flagship initiatives and nearly EUR 1.3 billion in funding opportunities it aims to supports Member States and stakeholders in addressing mental health issues in the EU.
The communication included, as one of the flagships, a peer review on legislative and enforcement approaches addressing psychosocial risks at work[5].
Throughout the years 2026-2028, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work will carry out a Healthy Workplace Campaign on mental health and psychosocial risks at work, raising awareness to this topic, thus contributing to the promotion of prevention and protection of psychosocial risks.
- [1] Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work (OJ L 183, 29.6.1989, p. 1) — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A31989L0391.
- [2] Council Directive 89/654/EEC of 30 November 1989 concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for the workplace (OJ L 393, 30.12.1989, p. 1) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31989L0654.
- [3] Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/2337 of 28 November 2022 concerning the European schedule of occupational diseases C/2022/8472 (OJ L 309, pp. 12-21), which replaced Recommendation 2003/670/EC — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reco/2022/2337/oj/eng.
- [4] COM(2023) 298 final — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52023DC0298.
- [5] https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8649&furtherPubs=yes.