THREE-WAY TUG OF WAR.

• Position: Working Time Directive - Brief article

The Czech EU Presidency has finally obtained a real mandate' from the member states to start negotiations on the revision of the Working Time Directive. It thus spelled out its position in black and white, on 18 February. This exactly is what the European Parliament has been calling for, since a real mandate' could have had vast implications for the battle between the parties on how to revise this directive.

However, the mandate was not received with satisfaction on the EP's side during the second informal three-way talks, on 18 February. The biggest obstacle is the firm position of both parties on the opt-out provision, allowing for longer working weeks than 48 hours. The EP wants to remove...