AEIP publishes position paper on the Construction Services Act

The European Association of Paritarian Institutions (AEIP) has published its position paper on the European Commission’s proposal for a Construction Services Act, setting out its views on how to improve cross border service provision in the construction sector while safeguarding effective enforcement, workers’ rights and paritarian governance. AEIP welcomes the Commission’s objective to address long standing barriers in the Single Market, but stresses that EU action must build on existing national systems and respect the autonomy of social partners.

The position paper highlights the central role played by national social ID card systems and paritarian institutions in ensuring transparency, combating undeclared work and supporting fair working conditions for both domestic and posted workers. AEIP firmly opposes the creation of a mandatory EU wide construction site card, warning that such an approach would duplicate or disrupt well-functioning national schemes, weaken labour inspection practices and undermine collective agreements. Instead, AEIP calls for a proportionate solution based on digital interoperability between existing national systems.

AEIP advocates for the development of a decentralised European Social ID Interoperability Network through a Construction Social ID Data Space. This approach would enable secure cross border data exchange, improve compliance checks and facilitate mobility, while allowing Member States and paritarian bodies to retain control over their own systems and enforcement tools.

The paper also addresses concerns related to double contributions to paritarian funds in cross border situations. AEIP recognises that challenges can arise but rejects any EU wide centralised or harmonised mechanism, arguing that these schemes are deeply rooted in national collective agreements and governance structures. AEIP instead highlights existing bilateral and multilateral cooperation between paritarian institutions as effective and flexible solutions that protect workers’ entitlements without imposing unnecessary administrative burdens on companies.

AEIP calls on the European Commission to focus on improving transparency, information exchange and digital cooperation, rather than introducing one size fits all instruments that risk weakening social protection systems. The Association stands ready to engage constructively with EU institutions and stakeholders to ensure that the Construction Services Act supports fair mobility, effective enforcement and the paritarian model that underpins social protection in the construction sector.

To read our full response, please click here.

See the position paper here