The first EWC Directive was adopted on 22 September 1994 (Directive 94/45/EC). In 2008, approximately 800 EWCs were active, representing 14.5 million employees.

However, the ETUC was very concerned about the practical application of the Directive. It appeared that early and extensive information on management decisions was rare and that EWCs were rarely involved in company decision-making and playing an effective role in the management of changes. The norm was for the EWC to be ‘consulted’ after management decisions had been finalized.

Following an active campaign by the ETUC and the European Trade Union Federations, a new EWC Directive was finally adopted on 6 May 2009 (Directive 2009/38/EC).