EU to crack down on unpaid internships ‘exploiting despair of young people’

Proposal seeks to retain talent in Europe and end labour shortage – but criticised for not going far enough

The EU is planning to clamp down on unpaid internships and “bogus” traineeships offered by unscrupulous employers with a new directive.

The move, which was criticised by some groups for not going far enough, is to be tabled on Thursday and is likely to be the last major legislative proposal before the mandate of the European parliament ends with the June elections.