Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, in a written answer on 1 July 2026, declined to launch an EU investigation into alleged failures by ArcelorMittal to inform and consult workers during restructuring, instead directing the company's employees to seek redress before national authorities. The response, to a question from S&D MEP Estelle Ceulemans, reaffirms the Commission's position that enforcement of information and consultation obligations under EU directives lies primarily with Member States' courts and labour inspectorates, not with Brussels.
Mînzatu listed four directives — on collective redundancies (98/59/EC), transfers of undertakings (2001/23/EC), general information and consultation (2002/14/EC), and European Works Councils (2009/38/EC) — as the legal framework already in place. She stressed that these rules are flexible enough to cover green and digital transitions in the steel sector. The only concrete EU-level action cited was the 2025 revision of the European Works Councils Directive (2025/2450), which she said enhances rights by clarifying consultation timing, confidentiality, and access to justice. No new legislative or enforcement measures were announced.
The answer signals a policy orientation favouring subsidiarity: the Commission monitors Member State transposition but will not intervene in individual company cases. Stakeholder impact is mixed. For workers and trade unions, the response offers no immediate remedy for the alleged ArcelorMittal violations, reinforcing reliance on often slow national procedures. For multinational employers, the answer provides regulatory certainty that the Commission will not pursue direct enforcement, though the 2025 directive already tightens some procedural obligations. For national authorities, the answer reaffirms their frontline role but may increase pressure to demonstrate effective enforcement. For the Commission itself, the stance avoids a politically sensitive confrontation with a major industrial player while preserving its gatekeeping role over EU labour law.
the Commission will continue its routine screening of the acquis, but no specific review or investigation timeline was given. The answer effectively closes the door on EU-level action for this case, leaving workers to domestic legal channels.