Social Dialogue

Art. 139 of the EC Treaty provides the possibility for management and labour to enter into contractual relations and notably to sign European Social Dialogue Agreements.

Originally, joint social partners committees were established by the EC as consultative bodies, allowing relations between European representatives of workers and employers to adopt non-binding resolutions, declarations and joint opinions within these social partners committees.

Ultimately, the agreements negotiated between the European social partners were allowed to be given legal force through a decision by the Council and its transposition into the legislation of each Member State, or else to be implemented autonomously by the social partners according to national procedures and practices.