Stricter EU rules proposed against exploitation in subcontracting chains
Official title: Het aanpakken van onderaannemingsketens en de rol van tussenpersonen om de rechten van werknemers te beschermen
Status: Parliament has approved this proposal. (parliament: ‘Adopted’)
In plain language
- The European Parliament urges the Commission to limit subcontracting chains in high-risk sectors and introduce joint liability for main contractors.
- This affects workers, recruitment agencies, and businesses in sectors such as construction, transport, agriculture, cleaning, and hospitality.
- Workers gain better protection for fair wages and safe conditions, while fraudulent business practices and unfair competition are curbed.
Automatically summarised (gemini-3.8-flash). AI can make mistakes: if in doubt, read the official text.
From proposal to law
- Submitted 12 February 2026
- Approved by parliament 12 February 2026
- Signed by the Parliament and the Council not yet
- Published in the Official Journal of the EU not yet
- In force not yet
After the vote, the government (or, for a European law, the Council) still has to sign the proposal. Then it appears in the official journal. This usually takes a few weeks; we check every day.
How parliament voted
Passed on 12 February 2026332 for · 209 against · 33 abstention(s)
In the European Parliament, a parliamentary group is a group of MEPs from like-minded parties in different countries. For each group, you can see how many members voted for or against, or abstained.
- For
- Against
- Abstain
- Dot: colour of the group
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EPP (Christian Democrats) Divided
84 for · 39 against · 21 abstentions
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S&D (Social Democrats) Divided
107 for · 1 against · 0 abstentions
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Patriots for Europe Divided
10 for · 60 against · 0 abstentions
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ECR (Conservatives) Divided
0 for · 59 against · 3 abstentions
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Renew (Liberals) Divided
39 for · 18 against · 4 abstentions
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Greens/EFA Voted for
43 for · 0 against · 0 abstentions
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The Left Voted for
38 for · 0 against · 0 abstentions
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Europe of Sovereign Nations Divided
2 for · 21 against · 2 abstentions
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Non-attached Divided
9 for · 11 against · 3 abstentions
How MEPs voted, by country
Each country elects its own MEPs. Here you can see how the members from each country voted, regardless of their group.
🇳🇱 MEPs from Netherlands
Majority in favour16 for · 11 against · 2 abstentions
See all countries
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🇦🇹 Austria
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🇧🇪 Belgium
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🇧🇬 Bulgaria
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🇭🇷 Croatia
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🇨🇾 Cyprus
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🇨🇿 Czechia
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🇩🇰 Denmark
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🇪🇪 Estonia
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🇫🇮 Finland
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🇫🇷 France
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🇩🇪 Germany
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🇬🇷 Greece
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🇭🇺 Hungary
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🇮🇪 Ireland
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🇮🇹 Italy
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🇱🇻 Latvia
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🇱🇹 Lithuania
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🇱🇺 Luxembourg
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🇲🇹 Malta
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🇳🇱 Netherlands
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🇵🇱 Poland
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🇵🇹 Portugal
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🇷🇴 Romania
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🇸🇰 Slovakia
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🇸🇮 Slovenia
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🇪🇸 Spain
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🇸🇪 Sweden
Figures: for / against / abstention.