Source: European Parliament
Priority question for written answer P-001145/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Henrik Dahl (PPE)
The Commission has consistently stressed the importance of reducing administrative burdens on businesses and increasing Europe’s competitiveness, as is reflected in its latest work programme. At the same time, Europe faces a significant skills shortage, making early exposure to the labour market through student jobs an important first step towards a professional career.
A key obstacle to this is the ‘two-hour rule’ stemming from EU Directive 94/33/EC, which limits working time for 13-to-14-year-olds to a maximum of two hours on school days. Practical experience in SMEs shows that that rule creates major difficulties for both businesses and young workers, it being impractical to schedule such short spells of work, especially when travelling time is taken into account.
In the light of its focus on regulatory simplification and on improving conditions for SMEs,
does the Commission acknowledge that the two-hour rule represents a needless administrative burden for SMEs and creates practical barriers for both employers and young workers?
Submitted: 18.3.2025