Terms and conditions of employment should be examined as a whole in some countries or categories of countries. This is the case, for example, when countries are implementing a new economic system and have to change the whole employment status, or when countries are hit by a severe economic crisis which leads them to implement transitory terms of employment packages.

The analysis of such cases assists us in our role of providing advice to constituents on labour protection policies.

A joint project with the European Commission on future EU Member States will be carried out in 2004 to identify how wages are combined with employment and working conditions prevailing at enterprise level, such as types of work contracts, working time, health and safety, and other working conditions.