EU Commission's Roxana Minzatu Talks Future-Proofing ‘Quality Jobs’

Summary

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Bloomberg Talks — EU Commission's Roxana Minzatu Talks Future-Proofing ‘Quality Jobs’

Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Bloomberg
Guest: Roxana Minzatu, Executive Vice President of the European Commission (Social Rights, Skills & Jobs)

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Episode Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the European Commission's new plan to "future-proof" quality jobs in light of increasing automation, AI deployment, and the competitiveness challenges facing Europe. Roxana Minzatu discusses the roadmap for balancing workers’ rights with the need to reduce red tape, ensure economic agility, and support smooth transitions for employees affected by technological change.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

A Balancing Act: Competitiveness vs. Social Rights

• The Commission is prioritizing both the competitiveness of European industry and the maintenance of strong social rights.
  • Quote: “There is no competitiveness without quality employment, without quality jobs.” —Roxana Minzatu [00:59]
• Attention on the evolving nature of work, particularly the impact of AI on both skill requirements and labor relations.
  • AI as an assistant differs fundamentally from AI as a “boss” or algorithmic manager.

Building a Trustworthy Framework for AI Workplaces

• Call for societal trust in AI adoption—ensuring both workers and employers feel secure.
• Introduction of the “Quality Jobs Act”: A legislative initiative under first-phase consultation to address worker protection and social partnership in the AI age.
  • Quote: “Do we have enough protections for workers when the algorithm is in charge, or do we need to create a framework that enables this kind of… work environment?” —Roxana Minzatu [01:44]

Addressing Fears of More Regulation

• Commitment to not imposing additional burdens on European businesses.
  • “No, no, the idea is not to create more burden for companies. We need to keep them agile.” —Roxana Minzatu [02:56]
• The focus is filling gaps in worker protection—not broad, sweeping new regulations.
• Emphasis on joint work within the Commission (particularly with VP for Technology, Hanna Wirkunen) to ensure legislation is both effective and practical.

The Simplification Debate: Streamline, Not Deregulate

• Business concerns about “red tape” and EU’s reputation for new rules addressed.
  • Recognizes the need for making regulations more efficient, reducing bureaucracy, and employing digitalization—not reducing workers’ rights.
  • “Simplification means looking at reports, looking at bureaucracy… it is not about saying, you know, you have to forego some rights.” —Roxana Minzatu [05:08]
• Clear stance against weakening labor protections:
  • “There’ll be no weakening of workers rights through simplification.” —Host [06:13]
  • “It cannot be. And I tell you, this is part of our social fiber, of our social cohesion in the union.” —Roxana Minzatu [06:15]

Human-Centric Approach to Technological Change

• Europe’s model remains “human-centric,” embedding safety, security, and privacy as core standards (e.g., via the AI Act).
  • “You cannot treat people as a machine. They are, in the end, the final end of our quest for competitiveness.” —Roxana Minzatu [04:47]
• Stress on the need to balance productivity gains from AI adoption with the health, safety, and privacy of workers.

Support for Workers Displaced by AI

• Recognizes real examples (e.g., Klarna’s layoff-rehire cycle amid automation) and the anxiety around mass job transitions.
• Outlines EU-level funds and pilot programs (“European skills guarantee for workers”) to support reskilling and upskilling for automated and AI-transformed industries.
  • “We are creating these tools so that we support people in these transitions.” —Roxana Minzatu [07:58]
• Secured a proposal for a minimum 14% direct investment in people in the next EU budget, targeting these transitions.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI as a Manager:
  “When you have AI as an assistant, is one discussion. When you’re looking at AI as a boss… then it’s a different story.” —Roxana Minzatu [01:18]
• On the EU Social Model:
  “Think that the European Union is a promise for a better life for, for the people that join the union.” —Roxana Minzatu [06:15]
• On Striking Balance:
  “If we say that Europe is not competitive because people have too many rights, then I would say this is very dangerous. I do not agree with that.” —Roxana Minzatu [05:51]
• On Adapting Regulations:
  “We need to find the right balance and to strike the right balance so that we keep our European social model, and — but also make European industries more agile.” —Roxana Minzatu [05:24]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:27 – Introduction: EU’s plan to future-proof quality jobs.
• 00:59–01:44 – Minzatu explains the plan: balancing quality employment, AI, and employment regulation.
• 01:44–02:41 – Introduction of the Quality Jobs Act and social partner consultations.
• 02:41–03:52 – Balancing new rules with business competitiveness, interaction with executive VP for Technology.
• 03:52–04:45 – Addressing regulatory burdens and the narrative of EU red tape.
• 04:45–06:15 – Hostile reaction to the idea of deregulation at the cost of workers’ rights, importance of EU social cohesion.
• 06:27–07:12 – Consistency of this approach across the Commission, especially in contrast to climate/digital simplification.
• 07:12–08:00 – Funding, support, and tools for workers displaced by AI and automation.

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Tone

The conversation is pragmatic, optimistic, and firm—Minzatu stresses the value of social rights as intrinsic to European identity, while being mindful of business concerns. The language is accessible yet assertive, with repeated assurances that competitiveness will not come at the expense of worker protections.

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Summary prepared for listeners who want the heart of the discussion, without the ads or filler.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

The European Commission will today unveil a plan to future proof what it's calling quality jobs as Europe continues to face challenges over competitiveness, building up its defences and the global AI race. But how does the roadmap balance protecting workers with the EU's drive to cut red tape, a key component of the draghi, and letter recommendations for keeping the EU competitive in the future? Joining me now to discuss is Roxana Manzato, who's Executive Vice President of the European Commission with responsibility for social rights, skills and jobs. Good morning. Great to have you with us. Morning in studio. What's this plan about?

[C]

It's about balancing competitiveness and social rights. You are spot on because, as Jaggi said, there is no competitiveness without quality employment, without quality jobs. And many of the shortages that we see in many sectors are about the working conditions. But it's not just about the current types of employment that we see, it's also about the future of work. And you've mentioned AI, algorithmic management, which is not going to change many types of jobs and skill sets, but it does change labor relations, workers relations with their bosses. When we have AI as an assistant, is one discussion. When you're looking at AI as a boss, because we have algorithms that sometimes manage activities or assess activities, then it's a different story. So what the Commission is doing is, on the one side, investing, pushing on innovation in AI, pushing on deployment and diffusion of AI in Europe. And this is extremely important. Important. But in order to have this diffusion and uptake of AI throughout our industries, in all company contexts, small or large, we need to create trustworthy environments for workers and for employers alike. So the quality jobs route will ask this question, do we have enough protections for workers when the algorithm is in charge, or do we need to create a framework that enables this kind of. This kind of work environment? And I need to mention this today we also launched this first phase consultation for a potential Quality Jobs Act. So it's not just the strategy that we launched today on employment, but it's also asking social partners what we need to do in the sense of.

Legislative initiative.

[B]

But when you're talking about new rules, businesses are going to be Wary about what exactly that's going to mean for their competitiveness. If you're adding to a regulatory burden, how do you respond to the call from unions, for example, to put rules in place but also balance that with competitiveness?

[C]

Look, no, no, the idea is not to create more burden for companies. We need to keep them agile. We will look at gaps. So gaps mean where we have no types of, of, of frameworks and of, of regulatory setups. And whether these gaps need to be filled or not, it will be the result of these consultations with the social partners. And, but this is clear and I work very closely with the executive vice president for technology in the Commission with Hanna Wirkunen. We are working together, not in silos. So obviously everything will be carefully balanced so that any type of outputs of this Quality Jobs act is not creating burden or any type of negative influence on companies. But we cannot forget about people, about workers, because it's them in the end that need also to deliver competitiveness and they need also to benefit from the prosperity that we want to share in Europe.

[B]

How worried are you about the kind of broader signals of that sense to companies that might want to invest or hire in the European Union as well? Because the narrative is often that the EU is just adding rules and red tape. So it's a difficult message to send without it being interpreted as it's going to be more difficult and perhaps drive jobs away from Europe.

[C]

But look, we are already doing a lot on simplification and that's not looking. We're not talking about labor rights, but we're talking about many overlaps or regulatory burdens that needed to be made easier and simpler for companies? But on the other side, is Europe ready or willing to go in a direction where it says that workers and people that deliver for competitiveness need to be put on the third place or to be left outside of the discussion? I mean, this is the biggest, the.

[B]

Big question, do you want human oversight?

[C]

Then when it comes to human centric, is Europe human? Europe has set the standards with the AI act, with safety and security in the workplaces and with this approach of being human centric. But we need to find ways to do it so that it makes sense. It's pragmatic, it doesn't create for companies, as I said, pressures. But at the same time, you cannot treat people as a machine. They are in the end, the final end of our quest for competitiveness. So that's, that's why we need to be, to balance workers rights and workers health and safety, their privacy Everything that is related to that and the productivity that we need by using AI and by using technology. So both need to find, we need to find the right balance and to strike the right balance so that we keep our European social model and, but also make European industries more agile. And when we say simplification, I do not think we say deregulation because if we say that Europe is not competitive because people have too many rights, then I would say this is very dangerous. I do not agree with that. Simplification means looking at reports, looking at bureaucracy, looking at how they make sense, how we can digitalize, or whether they're overlapping. And then taking action is not about saying, you know, you have to forego some rights, you have to really be loosening up.

[B]

There'll be no weakening of workers rights through simplification.

[C]

It cannot be, it cannot be. And I tell you, this is part of our social fiber, of our social cohesion in the union. Think that the European Union is a promise for a better life for, for the people that join the union.

[B]

Is that conversation, is that being heard within the European Commission? Because we hear the message coming, you know, very strongly, for example, on climate rules, where easing of the burden and pushing back climate deadline seems to be the key part of the simplification effort there.

[C]

No, obviously I'm talking here about labor rights and social rights and this is quite clear that we cannot deregulate. What is simplification is, is, is never be about giving up people's rights at the same time, not just on environment, but also on, on digital. Indeed, we are finding ways, but they have to be fit for purpose so that we, we allow space and time for companies, for industries to, to do these transitions in a way that is as efficient and optimal as possible.

[B]

Can that help workers who are being displaced by AI? We have the example of Klarna, for example, firing hundreds of workers to replace them with AI and then having to rehire them.

[C]

We're working with the budgets that we have at European level. First of all, on the proposal for the next budget, I have secured with my colleagues a proposal that we have direct investment in people of minimum 14%. That would mean support for reskilling, upskilling, including, I want to mention another tool that we're piloting, piloting right now, this European skills guarantee for workers, which is also about reskilling and upskilling workers when they need to change their skill abilities to work with AI or to transition to a different kind of job because of AI or robotization or automation impact. So we are creating these tools so that we support people in these transitions.

[A]

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