first to deal with it in a comprehensive manner, sets out the main tasks of
European social policy in Article 136:
the promotion of employment, improved living and working con-
ditions, so as to make possible their harmonization while the
improvement is being maintained, proper social protection, dia-
logue between management and labour, the development of
human resources with a view to lasting employment and the
combating of exclusion.The principles are set out in the Social Affairs Commissioner’s foreword to the
Commission’s first ever report on industrial relations published in 2000, and
these reflect the conviction that economic and social progress must go hand in
hand: ‘respect for fundamental social rights in a frontier-free Europe; workers’
rights to information and consultation on company operations; social dialogue
as a mainstay of good governance and a means of involving citizens in the
European venture’. The framework of common minimum standards and
the process for adding to them, which together make up the so-called acquis
communautaire, are considered below.
An acquis communautaireA framework of common minimum standards
Despite the failure of the EU to give birth to a strong state protagonist, a sig-
nificant ‘European’ dimension to industrial relations has nonetheless emerged.
In terms of legislation, the European Commission (2000b: 24) reminds us that
the acquis communautaireis now considerable, affecting key areas of industrial
relations and social protection. It goes on to suggest that the development of
such legislation may be divided into six periods, details of which will be found
in Figure 17.1. As Falkner (1998) has argued, much of this regulation was a
direct ‘spill over’ from economic union. Some resulted from initial integration,
such as the freedom of movement and the exchange of qualifications.
Concerns about ‘social dumping’ led to measures dealing with health and
safety, which were subsequently extended to working time, and the directive
on posted workers. Other regulation, such as the directives dealing with infor-
mation and consultation, stemmed from the pressure to put a ‘human face’ on
the restructuring that EMU has brought about. As has been widely recognized
(Keller, 2000; Wendon, 2000), there has been a marked switch in emphasis in
the last three periods from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ regulation, reflecting a growing
emphasis on the promotion of a ‘European social model’ ‘based on high skill,
high trust and high quality’ (European Commission, 1997: 11). Such a model,
which is contrasted with the low cost, low skill model of some developing
countries, is thought to be best achieved by using processes such as ‘open
co-ordination’ discussed below.
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