The transformation of the European automotive industry is accelerating – electrification, restructuring of value chains and geopolitical tensions are reshaping production hubs across Central and Eastern Europe.

Understanding how these changes affect workers and regions is essential for a fair and sustainable transition.

A newly published ETUI volume “Electromobility: Made in Europe – still possible?”, edited by Béla Galgóczi, offers a comprehensive look at Europe’s shifting automotive landscape.

CELSI researchers Tibor T. Meszmann, Patrik Gažo, and Monika Martišková contributed Chapter 8, which analyses how automotive plants in Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia are adapting their labour strategies to increasing volatility.

Their research highlights how flexible margins – workers on temporary contracts, agency workers, and employees with migrant backgrounds – are often used to absorb production shocks, raising important questions about job quality, stability and long-term resilience.

This work directly supports our EcoMobility Transition project, where:

🔹 Tibor Meszmann leads the project

🔹 Patrik Gažo explores the Slovak regional perspective

🔹 Béla Galgóczi provides strategic European insights

Together with our partners, we aim to connect the transformation of the automotive industry with cleaner mobility and social justice across regions in CEE.

🔗 Read the full ETUI publication and CELSI’s chapter: https://www.etui.org/publications/electromobility-made-europe-still-possible

🔗 Learn more about the EcoMobility Transition project: https://ecomobility-transition.celsi.sk/

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