Gouvernement.fr (13. 11. 2020) This concerns companies with less than 50 employees closed administratively and those with less than 250 employees in the tourism, events, culture, sport, air transport sectors with a loss of activity of at least 50% :  

• employers benefit from a total exemption from employer social contributions excluding supplementary pensions, and assistance with the payment of social contributions of 20% of the payroll;
• the self-employed receive a lump sum reduction of social contributions.

regjeringen.no (10.11.2020) The guarantee scheme was established as a temporary measure in light of the corona situation in order to maintain a sufficient credit insurance offer to companies in Norway. The scheme means that the state covers losses with the credit insurance companies totaling up to NOK 20 billion. kroner, through so-called re-insurance. In return, credit insurance companies must pay for reinsurance and commit to maintaining the business.

The Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) has been designed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak to collect and organize up-to-date information on how countries are responding to the crisis. It focuses primarily on the responses of health systems but also captures wider public health initiatives. This is a joint undertaking of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the European Commission, and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.

ec.europa.eu (16.07.2020) The European Commission presents Guidelines to ensure the protection of seasonal workers in the EU in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. It provides guidance to national authorities, labour inspectorates, and social partners to guarantee the rights, health and safety of seasonal workers, and to ensure that seasonal workers are aware of their rights. Cross-border seasonal workers enjoy a broad set of rights, but given the temporary nature of their work, they can be more vulnerable to precarious working and living conditions.

UNDP (23.07.2020) This paper provides estimates for a Temporary Basic Income (TBI), a minimum guaranteed income above the poverty line, for vulnerable people in 132 developing countries. A TBI amounts to between 0.27 and 0.63 per cent of their combined GDPs, depending on the policy choice: i. top-ups on existing average incomes in each country up to a vulnerability threshold; ii. lump-sum transfers that are sensitive to cross-country differences in the median standard of living; or, iii. lump-sum transfers that are uniform regardless of the country where people live.

WHO/Europe, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (16.07.2020) Government across the European Region and Central Asia have introduced a variety of policy responses to mitigate the consequences of the containment measures on well-being and the economy, employment and incomes, and on families and children who are not able to access social and health services.

This technical guidance identifies 10 policy objectives for decision-makers, policy-makers and national or regional health authorities as they strive to prevent and manage the COVID-19 pandemic in long-term care settings.

Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion - European Commission(01.07.2020) 

The new Europass offers a range of online ‘e-Portfolio’ tools and information for people of all ages, at all stages of their lives, to manage their learning and career such as:

The coronavirus pandemic has instigated a work-from-home culture with many employees wanting to extend the experience.

However, the conditions imposed by the EU risk acting as a brake for cross-border workers in regions like Geneva, which borders with France, Swiss public radio (RTS) reports.