On 8–9 December 2025, a meeting of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Youth Committee took place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation (LPSK) was represented at the meeting by Eglė Žukauskaitė from the Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union.

The main focus of the meeting was the European Union  Traineeships Directive proposed by the European Commission and presented in April 2024. The directive aims to ensure that traineeships are paid and not used as a form of cheap labour to replace regular jobs.

“The opinion adopted by the European Parliament in October 2025 largely supports the objectives of the Traineeships Directive and in many respects aligns with the ETUC position – in particular regarding the need to guarantee paid, quality traineeships and to prevent the exploitation of trainees. However, discussions on the directive at the level of EU Member States are progressing slowly. Therefore, without more active involvement of trade unions and young people at national level, it will likely be difficult for the Traineeships Directive to move forward,” notes Eglė Žukauskaitė.

During the meeting, the European Apprenticeship Network was also presented, aiming to strengthen the voice of apprentices and their participation in shaping national and European policies.

ETUC representative Tea Jarc presented the EU Quality Jobs Roadmap, highlighting issues such as algorithmic management, artificial intelligence, occupational safety and health, subcontracting, and just transition.

It was emphasised that state support should only be granted to companies that engage in collective bargaining and genuinely care for workers’ well-being, including their psychological health.

In the run-up to the ETUC Youth Conference on 17 June 2026, significant attention was also given to clarifying the committee’s internal priorities: strengthening youth engagement, improving regional cooperation, and increasing the visibility of the youth voice in ETUC decision-making, particularly in representing perspectives from Eastern Europe.

Members of the ETUC Youth Committee agreed to engage more actively in discussions on the Traineeships Directive, contribute to the further development of the Quality Jobs Roadmap, and strengthen communication at the regional level.