European Social Dialogue: European Commission adopts a Communication to strengthen its role in Europe’s strategy of economic and social reforms, June 2002

The European Commission adopted a Communication on the social dialogue on 26 June 2002, aimed at strengthening its role in Europe's strategy of reforms.

The social dialogue offers the 'best forum for striking new balances between flexibility and security' according to the European Commission. It also has an increasingly important role to play as enlargement approaches, bringing several countries into the EU where the traditions of partnership are still weak.

In order to strengthen the social dialogue the European Commission proposes:

• Raising the profile of the results of the social dialogue and strengthening coherence between the national and European levels
• Establishing a 'tripartite social summit for growth and employment' which will bring together the Presidency of the Council, the European Commission and the European Social Partners. The summit will be held annually, ahead of the Spring European Council which discusses the economic and social situation of the Union
• Encouraging the social partners to develop their independent dialogue through joint work programmes which should produce concrete results that can be incorporated into Community law and implemented using procedures specific to the social partners

Speaking about the proposal, the European Commissioner responsible for employment and social affairs, Anna Diamantopoulou said:

'The Commission has always favoured the social dialogue because it is in the best position to tackle the concrete issues that lie at the heart of the modernisation of the European social model. So it is time that it played its role to the full at both European and national level'.

The idea of enhancing the role of the social partners in policy-making at the European level was introduced in the Social Protocol attached to the Maastricht Treaty which proposed the development of a Social Dialogue. Following the implementation of the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Social Protocol was incorporated into the social chapter of the main EC treaty and it is now applicable in all fifteen Member States.

The Social Dialogue promotes social policy-making through negotiation among the social partners as an alternative to the traditional legislative route. The European Social Partners are inter-branch organisations: UNICE/UEAPME for the employers, ETUC for employees and CEEP for enterprises with public participation or sectoral organisations. Under the terms of the treaty, these social partners must be consulted on any Community initiative and they may also negotiate agreements that are subsequently incorporated into European law. Since 1993, three inter-branch agreements have been concluded and followed up with Directives: parental leave (1995), part-time working (1997) and fixed-term employment relationships (1999). There have also been two sectoral agreements on the organisation of working time in the maritime transport and civil aviation sectors which have also been extended into Directives. An agreement in May 2002 on teleworking will be the first agreement to be implemented in accordance with the procedures and practices specific to the social partners and the Member States.

At the Laeken European Council in December 2001 the Presidency, a 'troika' of EU governments, social partners and the European Commission agreed to give new momentum and to draw up a multiannual work programme for the social dialogue - the details and timetable of which would be finalised over the course of 2002. The latest Communication is a step in this direction, further progress will be made by December 2002 when the social partners report on the contribution of the social dialogue to the success of the Lisbon strategy, aimed at making the EU 'the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010'.

Links:

European Commission:

• 26.06.02: Press Release: European Commission gives new impetus to the European Social Dialogue [IP/02/921]
• 13.03.02: Social Summit : Commission will call on social partners to play their full part in the Lisbon strategy [IP/02/407]
• 01.03.02: European Commission welcomes the conclusions of the High-level group on the future of industrial relations [IP/02/347]
• 12.12.01: Laeken : 'Now, more than ever before, is the hour of the social partners' says Commission [IP/01/1809]
• DG Employment and Social Affairs: The European Social Dialogue
• DG Employment and Social Affairs: Report of the High Level Group on Industrial Relations and change in the European Union

Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE)

• UNICE Homepage

European Centre of Enterprises withPublic Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP)

• CEEP Homepage

European Associationof Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (UEAPME)

• UEAPME Homepage

European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)

• ETUC Homepage

European Sources Online: In Focus

• The Social Dialogue: Meeting of the Standing Committee on Employment, Brussels, March 2000
• The European Union's Social Policy Agenda

European Sources Online: Topic Guides

• Employment and Labour Market Policy

Helen Bower
Compiled: Thursday, 27 June 2002

The European Commission adopted a Communication on the social dialogue on 26 June 2002, aimed at strengthening its role in Europe's strategy of reforms.