"Policy recommendations
• Work-related psychological risks (PSR) pose an ever-growing problem for modern labour. Awareness of the problem and approaches to its legal regulation vary across the EU. Many central and eastern European states still lag behind in addressing the problem in their national legislation.
• With a view to adapting working conditions and work organisation to address and manage psychological risks in central and eastern Europe effectively it needs to be incorporated into risk assessment and management measures, along with implementation of collective preventive measures. It is thus crucial to strengthen national regulatory frameworks with regard to psychological risks and to enhance sector-specific activities, joint actions of social partners and active campaigning by national trade unions.
• The EU Occupational Safety and Health Framework directive does not cover psychological risks explicitly, while the implementation of non-binding framework agreements on work-related stress (2004) and on harassment and violence at work (2007), as well as other soft instruments are not sufficient to influence central and eastern European legislation. The regulatory framework at the EU level should therefore be reinforced to better prevent and deal with work-related psychological risks.
• To tackle the issue effectively, the adoption of a new binding instrument at the EU level is essential. Developed with the involvement of the social partners, it would set minimum standards on psychological risks. An EU directive specifically addressing work-related psychological risks would bring about legislative changes in the Member States where they are needed most and gradually ensure an equal minimum level of protection for workers across the EU."

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