Digitalisation, migration, social cohesion and stability of the liberal democracy – these are megatrends Europe must face in the future. In this podcast by EZA (European Centre For Workers’ Questions), we’ll talk about that from the workers’ perspective. Travel with us to different projects, persons, and organisations to find out about challenges but also perspectives for the social future of Europe.
A cross-border worker may pay unemployment contributions in one country but receive benefits from another. The EU is revising how its national social security systems coordinate, including the rules for unemployment benefits. Silvia Kersemakers of the European Commission explains the proposed changes. Mandy Noesen of the Luxembourg based trade union LCGB asks how they will work in practice, while researcher Frédéric de Wispelaere looks at the gap between rights on paper and the help workers can actually access.
In the final episode of our series, we ask how Europe can make free movement work for the people who rely on it.
Find more on this topic in the latest issue of the EZA Magazine.
28 Sept 2026
Episode 42: Responsibilities
What happens when a cross-border worker falls ill, loses a job or needs to claim a pension? The answer can depend on rules and deadlines in more than one country. Nicole Steil-Elenz of the LCGB describes the cases that arrive at the union’s advice centre near the Luxembourg–German border. In the Upper Rhine region, Daniela Zink explains how employment services, trade unions and other specialists work together to help people find the right authority. The second episode of our series asks who takes responsibility when a worker’s life spans two national systems.
Find more on this topic in the latest issue of the EZA Magazine.
28 Sept 2026
Episode 41: The Invisible Border
Around 1.9 million people in Europe live in one country and work in another. In Luxembourg, cross-border workers make up almost half the workforce. Yet an open border does not mean that tax and social security rules disappear. Axel Ludwig, a staff representative at the Luxembourg Post Office, explains why commuting and limits on working from home are making cross-border jobs less attractive. Mandy Noesen of the trade union LCGB, an EZA member, shows how the trade union supports workers on both sides of the border. What does it take to make a single labour market work in everyday life?
This is the first episode of a three-part series about cross-border work.
Find more on this topic in the latest issue of the EZA Magazine.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
41
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
Contact We Work Europe
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of We Work Europe?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
