Protecting Enterprises & Employment: National Responses

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the comprehensive emergency measures that have been introduced to address to suppress the transmission of the virus, both nationally and internationally, have given rise to a severe economic shock that is unprecedented in both the size and speed of its propagation.  A combination of significant disruption to international supply chains, sharply weaker demand and the dramatic decline in investment is creating what the IMF have described as the worst economic downturn since the great depression.

In response to this unparalleled economic, social and health crisis, many governments have displayed a willingness to introduce an unprecedented set of financial, fiscal, monetary and other policies designed to provide support to enterprises, employees and households impacted by the global pandemic and the emergency measures introduced to address it.

The purpose of this section is to document the approach adopted by a number of European countries to both mitigate the immediate impact on enterprises and employees and provide a foundation for economic recovery.  It will also consider the extent to which social dialogue has played a role in the national policy responses to date.  It is recognised that these national policy responses are constantly evolving in real time, as policy makers’ knowledge and understanding of the virus, the economic challenges and the impact of policy actions already taken, is constantly updated. Therefore, the material on this page will be subject to periodic revision.

The countries examined include:

• Ireland
• Germany
• Denmark
• The Netherlands
• Finland
• Austria
• France