Four new Flash Reports prepared by the European Social Policy Network (ESPN) are now available and provide information on social policy developments related to the Danish, Estonian, Serbian and Turkish labour markets.

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• Denmark was one of the pioneers in linking the statutory pension age to longevity, and in closing early retirement routes. Since 1 January 2021, the country has reinstituted the right to early retirement for workers with very long work records and eased access to the early retirement scheme for workers with reduced work capacity.
• Since September 2020, it is possible in Estonia to take on temporary work while receiving unemployment benefits. This arrangement should help the unemployed get back into work.
• In October 2020, the Serbian tax administration started tax compliance checks of platform workers for the period 2016-2020 and discovered high levels of arrears on income tax and social insurance contributions. In response, platform workers established the Association of internet workers to halt the current tax recovery procedures until sound and appropriate legal solutions are adopted; and to negotiate their status with the government.
• In the second half of 2020, the Turkish government submitted to Parliament two bills to amend the labour law, with a view to increasing flexibility in the labour market. The bills aimed to redesign severance payments at the workers’ expense, and to lift the restrictions on fixed-term labour contracts for those younger than 25 and those aged 50 years or above. The bills were withdrawn following strong resistance from labour unions.