The right to a fair wage. Directive (EU) 2022/2041, on adequate minimum wages in the European Union

Abstract

Although it is a classic issue, wages are once again at the center of the debate. After successive crises, devalued wages and faced with a new reality - the working poor - the guarantee of adequate minimum wages is a matter of concern, also in the supra-national framework: traditionally, in international norms and, more recently, in European law. An example of the latter is Directive (EU) 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union, which is the subject of this study. To this end, after a brief contextualization of the European intervention and an analysis of the international standards on the subject, the analysis addresses the most important aspects of the new regulation: in short, the question of competence and the objectives to be met by the Member States.