ECONOMIC POLICIES PROMOTING SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

A strong social Europe requires strong social partnerships. In Western Europe, social partnerships, along with their institutions and processes, have promoted successful economic reforms. Social dialogue, collective bargaining are principal factors for promoting innovation, productivity and competition. Social dialogue is a core ingredient of the social market economy and a driving force for successful economic reforms. Strong collective bargaining systems also strengthen the resilience of Member States during economic crises. Over recent years, social dialogue has become more important within the framework of the European Semester. This has led to several country-specific recommendations emphasizing the involvement of national social partners in shaping economic policies. However, the degree and quality of social partners involvement in economic policy-making vary significantly among Member States. These variations are attributed to different institutional frameworks, procedures and practices.

The article aims to analyze the role of social partnerships in economic policy -making at both EU and national levels, focusing on case studies of the German and Swedish models.