This article addresses selected issues relating to the current situation of Social Europe, examining a possible legal basis for a Directive on short-time work as proposed by Sylvaine Laulom. Subsequently, it discusses the legal basis for the proposed Directive on minimum wages, concluding that there is no sufficient legal basis in EU primary law as a result of Article 153 (5) Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The article then provides a brief overview of developments in long-term care and collective bargaining for self-employed persons. Finally, it concludes with examples taken from Austrian case law of how the COVID pandemic can open up a new perspective for dealing with existing problems in labour and social security law