In Brief

CEC as a Social Partner

In 1985, the European social dialogue appears for the first time in the Treaty of the European Communities, which in 2009 has become the Treaty on the functioning of the EU (TFEU) and is a key element of the European social model. At national level, it is complementary to the social dialogue and industrial relations and contributes to the social policy of the EU, through the definition of the European social standards. Under the European social dialogue, European social partners are consulted before the drafting of legislative proposals on social issues. They also have the right to negotiate agreements that can then be transposed into European law or implemented by the social partners themselves. Beyond the formal procedures in the EU Treaty, social partners establish their own agenda, in which they choose to tackle issues of common interest.

The European social dialogue takes two main forms: a bipartite social dialogue between European employers and trade-unions; and a tripartite dialogue between social partners and the European institutions.

CEC is an independent organisation in the employees’ delegation, next to ETUC and Eurocadres. CEC promotes and defends more specifically the interests of managers. Through its professional federations, CEC also follows in the sectorial social dialogue.    <<< BACK