Cork: Member state experts resumed work on the Quality Traineeships Directive on 4 November 2026 after a pause of several months, as the Irish Council presidency tries to close the gap with Parliament. The last expert talks took place in February, and trilogue meetings have been postponed several times, according to Agence Europe.

The next trilogue is set for 16 November 2026. Sources cited by the bulletin do not expect it to be the final one, so the Quality Traineeships Directive is unlikely to be settled this month. Parliament and European trade unions had criticised the previous Cyprus presidency for a lack of ambition.

Scope is the main divide. The Council mandate covers only traineeships on the open labour market. It leaves out traineeships within national education and training frameworks, as well as those under active labour market policies. Parliament wants to cover almost all of them, including traineeships run under activation measures.

An Irish presidency note of 28 October asked governments to look for grounds for agreement. It asks whether mandatory professional traineeships, such as those in medicine or architecture, could fall within the scope, and whether the definition of a traineeship should change. Those questions suggest that Dublin is searching for a middle path between the two mandates.

Enforcement is a second issue. Articles 7 to 9 of the Commission proposal and of Parliament’s mandate give trainees additional procedural support. The presidency asked whether the Quality Traineeships Directive is the right instrument to enforce rights under other EU labour law, such as working time, non-discrimination and health and safety, given trainees’ vulnerable position on the labour market.

Employers and education providers will also follow the outcome closely. A narrow scope would leave many placements outside the Quality Traineeships Directive, while a wider one would reach schemes tied to education and unemployment programmes.

The stakes are real for young workers. Traineeships often lead to a first job, yet unpaid or poorly supervised placements can leave trainees with little protection. The Commission proposal and Parliament’s position try to set common standards on conditions, and the Council text would apply them to a narrower group.

The article is partly behind a paywall, so some details may be missing. What happens on 16 November will show whether the Irish presidency can bring Parliament closer to the narrower Council scope. If it cannot, the Quality Traineeships Directive risks sliding into 2027, and young workers will wait longer for common EU rules.