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EU social dialogue

BusinessEurope believes that the European social dialogue has an important role to contribute to EU policy-making on social policy, and make labour markets more efficient and adapted to new and changing economic and social realities.

Social dialogue can be an effective tool for successful labour market adaptation to change. For that, social partners should prioritise actions aiming to foster Europe’s global competitiveness, and inclusive growth and employment in Europe.

We aim to work together with other social partners and stakeholders towards a partnership for reforms, including ways to organise mutual learning on social partner engagement to address specific labour market challenges based on national experiences.

Latest results of the cross-industry European social dialogue:

Who are the cross-industry European social partners?

BusinessEurope

SMEunited (formerly called UEAPME) - the association for Crafts and SMEs in Europe,

SGI Europe (formerly called CEEP) - representing employers and providers of services of general interest,

ETUC - the European Trade Union Confederation.

Facts and figures

European cross-industry social dialogue has developed gradually since its inception at the beginning of the 1990s. Over the last two decades, it has progressively become more autonomous and less driven by the consultations and inputs of the European Commission. European sectoral social dialogue has also developed rapidly over the last fifteen years, and in 2014 covers 43 committees and about 145 million workers.

Publications

Speeches Date
Giving the right answers to Europe’s competitiveness challenges - how to make Europe the place to be for industrial investments creating growth and quality jobs - Tripartite Social Summit 22 March 2023 - Address by BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson 22/03/2023
Tackling the energy crisis and the cost-of-living crisis: How to protect the economy, businesses and workers - Address by Markus J. Beyrer at the Tripartite Social Summit on 19 October 2022 19/10/2022
A united tripartite response to the social and economic impact of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine - Address by BusinessEurope President Pierre Gattaz at the Tripartite Social Summit video conference on 23 March 2022 23/03/2022
Transforming Europe’s recovery into long-term sustainable growth supporting more and better jobs - Address by BusinessEurope President Pierre Gattaz at the Tripartite Social Summit video conference on 20 October 2021 20/10/2021
How to achieve a fair and sustainable recovery in Europe - Address by BusinessEurope President Pierre Gattaz at the Tripartite Social Summit on 24 March 2021 24/03/2021
Implementing together an inclusive economic and social recovery in Europe - Speech by BusinessEurope President Pierre Gattaz at the Tripartite Social Summit on 14 October 2020 14/10/2020
Tripartite Social Summit on 23 June 2020 - Contribution of the social partners to relaunching growth and employment in the aftermath of COVID-19 - Opening address by Markus J. Beyrer 23/06/2020
Tripartite Social Summit on 16 October 2019 - Speech by Pierre Gattaz, President of BusinessEurope 16/10/2019
Tripartite Social Summit on 20 March 2019 - Speech by Pierre Gattaz, President of BusinessEurope 20/03/2019
Tripartite Social Summit on 16 October 2018 - Speech by Pierre Gattaz, President of BusinessEurope 16/10/2018
Tripartite Social Summit on 21 March 2018 - Delivering on the European pillar of social rights - Address by Emma Marcegaglia, President of BusinessEurope 21/03/2018
Tripartite Social Summit on 18 October 2017 - Speech by Emma Marcegaglia, President of BusinessEurope 18/10/2017
Tripartite Social Summit on 8 March 2017 - Speech by Emma Marcegaglia, President of BusinessEurope 08/03/2017
European social partners' autonomous framework agreement on active ageing and an inter-generational approach - Presentation of the agreement 08/03/2017
Tripartite Social Summit on 19 October 2016 - Speech by Emma Marcegaglia, President of BusinessEurope 19/10/2016
Tripartite Social Summit on 16 March 2016 - Speech by Emma Marcegaglia, President of BusinessEurope 16/03/2016
Tripartite Social Summit on 16 March 2016 - Statement of the European social partners on digitalisation 16/03/2016
Boosting convergence, jobs and growth: towards a strengthened role of social partners" - Address by BusinessEurope President Emma Marcegaglia at the EU Tripartite Social Summit 15/10/2015
Investing in growth and in creating jobs: stepping up the contribution of social partners to a fair and competitive Europe - Speech by Markus J. Beyrer at the Tripartite Social Summit, Brussels 19/03/2015
"A new start for social dialogue" - High-level conference, Brussels - Concluding session: "Building a common approach to a new start for social dialogue" - Speech by Emma Marcegaglia, BusinessEurope President 05/03/2015
"A new start for social dialogue" - High-level conference, Brussels - Opening session: "Building a common approach to a new start for social dialogue" - Speech by Markus J. Beyrer, BusinessEurope Director General 05/03/2015
Stimulating investment to create more jobs; delivering on the Europe 2020 strategy - Address by BusinessEurope President Emma Marcegaglia, Tripartite Social Summit, Brussels 23/10/2014
Tripartite Social Summit - Speech by Emma Marcegaglia, President of BusinessEurope 20/03/2014
Position papers Date
Annual sustainable growth survey (ASGS) 2023: consultation of European social partners - Employers views 13/10/2022
Annual sustainable growth strategy 2022: consultation of European social partners - Employers views 13/10/2021
European social partners - Joint contribution to the report by Andrea Nahles on social dialogue 18/12/2020
European social partner joint statement on childcare provision in the EU 24/11/2020
Social partners for the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) - Operational conclusions of the fourth UfM social dialogue forum 6-7 October 2020 07/10/2020
European employers are committed to creating the conditions for return to employment, job creation and better skills matching as part of the recovery 24/07/2020
Annual growth survey 2020: consultation of European social partners - Employers views 17/10/2019
Annual growth survey 2019: consultation of European social partners - Employers views 12/10/2018
European social partners statement on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 21/03/2018
Second-phase consultation of social partners under Article 154 TFEU on a possible action addressing the challenges of access to social protection for people in all forms of employment in the framework of the European pillar of social rights 04/01/2018
Follow-up to the second-phase consultation on a possible revision of the written statement (Directive 91/533/EEC) - a BusinessEurope position paper 08/12/2017
Annual growth survey 2018: consultation of European social partners - Employers views 16/10/2017
First-phase consultation of social partners under Article 154 TFEU on a possible revision of the written statement directive (Directive 91/533/CEE) in the framework of the European pillar of social rights - BusinessEurope's response to the consultation 23/06/2017
European social partner statement on tapping the potential from greening the economy for job creation 30/05/2017
EU cross-industry employers joint statement on the employment and social affairs aspects of the 2017 Annual Growth Survey 26/10/2016
The Euro-Mediterranean Social Partners - Declaration on Social Dialogue 26/09/2016
A new start for Social Dialogue - Statement of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Social Partners 27/06/2016
Tripartite Social Summit on 16 March 2016 - BusinessEurope and ETUC call on EU institutions to bring competitive and sustainable industry back to the core of the EU policy agenda 16/03/2016
Declaration on a new start for a strong social dialogue 16/03/2016
Enhancing EU cooperation in the prevention and deterrence of undeclared work - BusinessEurope reply to the second-stage social partner consultation 26/02/2014
Reports and studies Date
European social dialogue work programme 2022-2024 28/06/2022
European social partners' autonomous framework agreement on active ageing and an inter-generational approach - Final implementation report 30/11/2021
European social partners' project on circular economy and the world of work - Final report 24/09/2021
European social partners framework agreement on digitalisation 22/06/2020
European social dialogue work programme 2019-2021 06/02/2019
Building on experiences a win-win approach to transnational industrial relations in multinational companies - final report 05/12/2018
Future European Social Fund - Better supporting capacity building of social partner organisations 29/06/2018
Promoting social partnership in employee training - Final report 19/06/2018
European social partners' autonomous framework agreement on active ageing and an inter-generational approach 08/03/2017
In-depth employment analysis by the European social partners - BusinessEurope, CEEP, ETUC and UEAPME 14/07/2015
Future of social Europe: challenges and the way ahead 28/11/2014
Press releases Date
European Unions and Employers sign historic deal 27/06/2022
EU social partners reach agreement on digitalisation 22/06/2020
The social partners of the Union for the Mediterranean - Joint statement on the occasion of the 4th Ministerial Conference of the Union for the Meditteranean on employment and labour, 2-3 April 2019, Portugal 02/04/2019
European Parliament elections 2019 - Statement of the European social partners 19/03/2019
European social partners statement on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 21/03/2018
Social summit for fair jobs and growth, Gothenburg - Joint statement of the European social partners 16/11/2017
European Pillar of Social Rights - right aims, wrong approach 25/04/2017
European social partners to sign framework agreement on active ageing 08/03/2017
EU: trade union & employers agree on refugee crisis, digitalisation, industrial policy, & social dialogue 16/03/2016
Tripartite Social Summit on 16 March 2016 - Statement of the European economic and social partners on the refugee crisis 16/03/2016
Social dialogue should develop in the direction of a reform partnership 05/03/2015
Public letters Date
Social dialogue in Poland - Joint message from the European social partners to the European Commission 01/04/2020
European pillar of social rights package - Letter from BusinessEurope President Emma Marcegaglia to Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission 20/04/2017

Contact

Maxime Cerutti

Director
Tel:
+32 2 237 65 30

Robert Plummer

Senior Adviser
Tel:
+32 2 237 65 75
Last updated: 28 June 2022