The role of employer associations and labour unions in the EMU. Institutional requirements for European economic policies

The role of employer associations and labour unions in the EMU. Institutional requirements for European economic policies:

This book is based on the proceedings of an international symposium organised by the Arbeitskreis für ökonomische und soziologische Studien (Working Group for Economic and Social Studies), entitled “Institutional Requirements for European Economic Policies” which was held in Vienna in September 1998. The Working Group is comprised of representatives from various Austrian labour and industrial organisations. Its goal is to carry our scientific research on issues that are of long-term importance to the Austrian economy and to the organisations involved in the group.

The contributions, from academics and researchers in Italy, Germany, UK, Netherlands and Austria, are grouped around three questions. What constitutes the European economic and social model? What are the consequences of EMU for macro-economic policy, especially monetary policy and wage formation? Finally, what are the institutional and other requirements for policy co-ordination at the European level? The symposium was intended to analyse and discuss in depth how the essential characteristics of Europe's economy and society are shared, and how they will or could be affected by the recent institutional changes brought about by the integration process and also by intensifying global competition.

The chapters include: Does a European social model exist and can it survive; Adapting the European Model: the role of employers' associations and trade unions; European macro-economic policy; is there a need for a co-ordinated European wage and labour market policy; Societal support for social dialogue: Europe's trade unions and employers associations; Wage-setting institutions and EMU; Reforming the channels of representation for an eventual Euro-democracy; and the role of the Associations in a European constitution. These are followed by a summary of the conference and conclusions of the Working Group itself.