Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, in a written answer on 26 June 2026, responded to a parliamentary question from Giuseppe Antoci (The Left) on worker deaths in Sicily and broader EU workplace safety measures. The answer directs attention to existing EU occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation and the potential use of European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) resources, rather than announcing new regulatory or enforcement initiatives.
Mînzatu noted that Eurostat does not publish accident data at the regional level, so no specific figures on Sicily are available. She stressed that EU OSH directives, including the framework Directive 89/391/EEC, already apply to all workers, including those in subcontracting and precarious employment, and require cooperation among employers sharing a workplace. However, enforcement – including the organisation and frequency of labour inspections – remains a national competence. The Commission promotes better enforcement through the Senior Labour Inspectors’ Committee, but does not itself conduct checks.
On funding, the answer pointed to the ESF+ as the main EU instrument for investing in people. Under the 2021-2027 programming period, Member States may use ESF+ to co-finance training, prevention programmes, and digitalisation of labour inspections, but decisions on allocation rest with national authorities. No new EU-level funding stream or mandatory spending requirement was proposed.
The answer thus reaffirms the existing legal framework and financial tools without signalling a shift in EU policy or additional Commission action. The question, submitted on 29 April 2026, had asked about strengthening checks, targeting European funds to high-fatality areas, and addressing subcontracting and precarious work – concerns that Mînzatu addressed by restating current rules and Member State discretion.