Involvement of Trade Unions in the European Semester (INVOTUNES) est un projet de recherche de deux ans (2018-2019) financé par la Commission européenne pour étudier l'implication des organisations syndicales nationales dans le cycle européen et national du Semestre européen.
Le calendrier couvre la période entre 2014 et 2018, tandis que l'analyse tient compte de deux domaines de politique sociale qui seront abordés au cours du semestre et qui revêtent une importance particulière pour les syndicats : Emploi et fixation des salaires et protection et inclusion sociales. Le projet se concentre sur huit pays : la Belgique, la Bulgarie, la Finlande, l'Allemagne, la Hongrie, l'Italie, le Portugal et la Suède. Pour chacun de ces huit pays, une étude de cas approfondie a été réalisée par une équipe nationale utilisant des méthodes de recherche qualitatives. Afin d'obtenir une image complète de la situation dans l'Union européenne (UE), une enquête en ligne a également été menée dans les 28 États membres.
Le projet de recherche était coordonné par l'Observatoire social européen et comprenait trois centres de recherche indépendants, trois instituts liés aux syndicats et trois universités. Le semestre européen fournit le cadre de la coordination des politiques économiques dans l'UE. Il donne l'occasion aux pays de l'UE de discuter de leurs plans économiques et budgétaires et de faire le point sur leurs progrès à des dates précises au cours de l'année.
Atention: Ce texte est écrit seulement en anglais.
Objectives of the project: from research to awareness raising
INVOTUNES had six specific objectives:
- first, to identify the channels through which national trade unions have access to both the EU and national cycles of the European Semester;
- second, to shed light on the linkages between the Semester and 'ordinary' domestic decision-making procedures (in particular, national social dialogue);
- third, to identify trade unions' strategies for involvement and the determinants of these strategies;
- fourth, to highlight trade unions' actual influence on the agenda, the outputs and the outcomes of the process (if any);
- fifth, to provide recommendations to both trade unions and decision-makers on how to increase the effectiveness of the involvement process; and
- finally, to increase awareness of the importance of the European Semester among domestic trade unions and, more generally, social partner organisations.
Key findings
Nine key messages emerge from the research.
- The poor quality of the access channels at national level, even ‘unwillingness’,
- the multiplying of the satisfactory access channels for interaction with EU institutions in the Semester,
- national trade unions adopt different strategies (proactive vs responsive) for involvement in the Semester
- chosen strategy is limited by a lack of adequate cognitive and organisational resources,
- inter-trade union cooperation, but not with employers or civil society organisations,
- several instances of usage of the Semester tools and messages as a ‘policy sword, as ‘lubricant’ or as containment strategy,
- trade unions perceive their influence as limited or non-existent,
- influence on EU documents like Country-specific Recommendations (CSRs) is only possible with the availability of cognitive resources,
- political considerations are dictating the involvement process on both sides (policy-makers and trade unions).
Read more in the executive summary or the report.
Policy recommendations for more effective involvement in the European Semester
Recommendations for trade unions include:
- to strengthen their cognitive and organisational resources and to exchange good practices regarding involvement in the Semester;
- to promote cooperation between national trade unions in the same country, in order to establish more effective strategies for involvement;
- to enhance interaction with the European Commission, as this is a promising way to have some impact on the Semester
- to further clarify and enhance the role of the Trade Union Semester Liaison Officers (TUSLOs), including by better defining their position and responsibilities within national trade union confederations.
There are also recommendations for the Member States and the European Commission. Read more in the executive summary or the report.