On 7 August 2026, European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu announced a proposal to establish an annual European Day in Remembrance of the Victims of Accidents at Work, to be observed each year on 8 August. The proposal comes ahead of the 70th anniversary of the Marcinelle mining disaster, in which 262 workers of 12 nationalities died in a fire at the Bois du Cazier coal mine in Belgium on 8 August 1956. Mînzatu framed the day as both a commemoration and a renewed commitment to prevention, stating that "everyone who goes to work should return home safely." The initiative follows calls from the European Parliament and several Member States, though no specific legislative timeline or formal procedure was detailed in her statement.
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