Industrial Relations in Europe

It has long been an objective of the Directorate of Employment, Industrial Relations and Social Affairs of the European Commission to promote the harmonisation of the different national systems of industrial relations in order to bring about a unified European model. The inspiration for this objective is the belief of the Directorate that the unification of Europe’s industrial relations systems — based on the Commission’s notion of the best practices in the Community — would significantly benefit the trade unions, improve productive efficiency of all forms of enterprise, bring tangible economic and social benefits to employees, employers and the general public, and make a major contribution to the achievement of a European political union.