A consultative body set up by employers for the purposes of discharging the requirements for informing and consulting employees at European level, in undertakings or groups with at least 1,000 employees across the member states of the EEA and at least 150 employees in each of two or more of those member states (European Works Councils Directive 2009/38/EC).

Only people employed in EEA countries can ask their employer to set up an EWC. Since 1 January 2021 employees in the UK cannot ask for an EWC to be set up, although UK employees may continue to participate in an EWC if the agreement establishing it provides for that.

For the UK’s legal framework on EWCs following the end of the transition period, see Practice note, European Works Councils post-Brexit. For the historical law that applied before the end of the transition period and the rules that continue to govern a Special Negotiating Body (SNB) process to establish an EWC that had commenced but not concluded by 11.00 pm (UK time) on 31 January 2020, see Practice note, European Works Councils.