European minimum wage: A Swedish perspective on EU’s competence in social policy in the wake of the proposed directive on adequate minimum wages in the EU

Abstract

The question of whether there can, may, and should be a lowest price for work performed by a human can be discussed from different perspectives. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has unambiguously made it clear that the EU must take measures with regard to minimum wages. On October 28 2020, the Commission presented a proposal for a Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union. The article is structured as follows. It begins with a brief description of the history of the proposal and a short presentation of its material content. This is followed by a discussion of the chosen legal basis in the Treaty and of whether the EU has the competence to adopt the proposal. I shall then analyse how it can be determined whether Sweden has transferred competence to the EU to adopt legislation regarding minimum wages. The article concludes with some comments on future developments as a result of the proposal for a Directive on adequate minimum wage in the European Union.