EU labour ministers gave initial approval on Monday to tougher rules on employing cheap temporary workers from eastern Europe and elsewhere, responding to political unease at a time of record joblessness, reports Reuters.
Ministers agreed to curtail abuses of European Union law that enable companies to move cheaper, foreign workers from one EU country to another, but which trade unions say prevent locals from getting work.
Tightening the law would force companies to provide more documentation, proving that the contracts for workers are bona fide.
But not all EU ministers in Brussels gave their whole-hearted support for tightening the rules.
While France championed the case for stricter enforcement, eastern European countries such as Hungary, whose workers benefit, are reluctant to toughen them up.
That means it will now fall to negotiations between EU countries and the European Parliament, which also has a say in lawmaking, to flesh out the broad deal agreed by labour ministers. It could be several months before a final accord is reached.
"There is an urgent need to reinforce the safeguards in EU rules," EU Employment Commissioner Laszlo Andor told reporters.
Each year, more than a million workers are moved by employers across EU borders to work chiefly in construction, farming, hospitality and transport.
The French government says the number of so-called posted workers in France - mainly from Poland, Portugal and Romania - rose 23 percent this year to more than 200,000. Officials estimate that many more go unregistered.
Read more of this report from Reuters.