CJEU, 30 April 2020, Case C‑211/19, Készenléti Rendőrség

The Court of Justice has issued a very important ruling concerning compliance with Directive 2003/88 on the organization of working time, which specifies the maximum permitted working time during periods of exceptional circumstances, such as the era we are currently living through with the Covid-19 crisis. The ruling opens up the way for Member States to depart from certain provisions of the Directive concerning civil service personnel engaged in combating Covid-19. As regards the private sector, this ruling implies that all provisions of the directive apply to employees, even in the event of an epidemic-related crisis.