The EU PolicyWatch database helps you to monitor policy developments in EU Member States.
The work and life of citizens, workers and businesses in the EU have been disrupted by a series of crises and challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and extreme weather events related to the climate crisis. Since 2020, businesses came under threat, putting the jobs of many workers at risk. Policymakers – including governments, support institutions, social partners and other social actors – moved swiftly to mitigate the social and economic effects.
EU PolicyWatch database
Explore the database to find measures by country, type of measure, category, or target group.
Eurofound launched its EU PolicyWatch in 2020 to map responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes measures to cushion the social and economic effects on citizens, workers and businesses. It also includes information on the role played by social partners in the design and implementation of the measures. As COVID-19 became endemic, the scope of the database has been expanding to report responses to further crises and policy challenges. As of mid-2022, the EU PolicyWatch also includes:
emergency policies adopted in response to the war in Ukraine
measures to cushion the impacts of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis
policies supporting the green transition, including emergency measures related to extreme weather events
support measures for companies that need to restructure and for employees affected by this, previously reported in Eurofound's Restructuring Monitor (ERM) database on support instruments for restructuring
policies supporting the digital transformation
Since its launch in early 2020, the EU PolicyWatch database has gone through various rounds of updates. Eurofound provided both background and update requirements to its network of correspondents across the EU to guide their selection of relevant policy measures for inclusion in the database. The information can be read in conjunction with the EU PolicyWatch manual, which describes the topical structure and scope of topics.
Eurofound’s EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to different crises or other challenges in a number of policy contexts, and gathers examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts. It aims to:
give an overview of policy measures introduced in EU Member States (as well as Norway which also participates in the Network of Eurofound Correspondents)
create a shared pool of information for Eurofound, its stakeholders and users
record selected examples of company practice and collective agreements
identify cross-country trends regarding policy measures as the situation evolves
Data are mainly provided by the Network of Eurofound Correspondents, with quality control carried out by Eurofound staff. The policies mapped feed into a range of Eurofound's research, including the following:
Access to the raw dataset, updated at irregular intervals, is also available:
Data: EU PolicyWatch - JSON
As the situation in Europe is evolving, measures are newly implemented, changed or cancelled and replaced at rapid speed. Cases are updated with information on the actual uptake of the main measures and information on research investigating their effectiveness, as far as feasible.
The Network of Eurofound Correspondents (NEC) report and review the measures two to four times a year and Eurofound carries out quality control checks prior to publication. For each update round, the correspondents are provided with a brief on the scope and focus of the measures to be reported and updated. The brief is complemented by a manual, describing the topical structure and scope of each topic in the database. Due to the growing number of cases over time, a comprehensive update of all cases is not feasible.
At Eurofound, the following experts can be contacted for questions in relation to the EU PolicyWatch.
Victoria Cojocariu
Research officerVictoria Cojocariu é investigadora para os estudos de representatividade na unidade de Vida Profissional da Eurofound. É responsável pela gestão dos contributos de investigação dos correspondentes nacionais da Eurofound, pelo controlo de qualidade, bem como pela elaboração de relatórios de síntese para estudos de representatividade setorial e pela criação de dados para a Base de Dados dos Parceiros Sociais Europeus. Antes de ingressar na Eurofound em 2019, Victoria trabalhou como coordenadora de programas para a Open Society Foundation Romania e como investigadora para o Centro de Inovação Pública em Bucareste, contribuindo para projetos de investigação nacionais e internacionais no domínio da migração, educação, acesso ao mercado de trabalho de nacionais de países terceiros, bem como direitos humanos. Ela possui bacharelado e mestrado em Sociologia.
Pietro Malacalza
Research assistantPietro Malacalza é assistente de investigação na unidade de Vida Profissional da Eurofound, tendo trabalhado anteriormente no apoio operacional. O seu trabalho envolve o apoio à Rede de Correspondentes da Eurofound, incluindo o controlo da qualidade, a síntese das contribuições nacionais para relatórios de investigação e bases de dados, o acompanhamento de resultados individuais e a codificação de informações em software de investigação qualitativa. Antes de ingressar na Eurofound, trabalhou como consultor de gestão de projetos para o Centro Comum de Investigação (JRC) da Comissão Europeia e também desempenhou várias funções nas indústrias de TI, aeroespacial e alimentar. Ele é formado em Ciências Políticas pela Universidade de Milão e possui certificação Project Management Professional (PMP).
European Climate and Health Observatory(opens in new tab)This link opens in a new tab by the European Environmental Agency (EEA)
Eurofound: European Restructuring Monitor
