European Social Dialogue and the Role of Social Partners : Governance in the EU

The study explores the extent of the influence of European social dialogue and the role of the social partners in EU social policy-making procedure with reference to governance in the EU. It is notable that, despite the limited outcomes of the European social dialogue process regarding binding legislation, the limited scope of European social dialogue, the limited influence of EU institutional framework on the social dialogue, and the deficiencies in the representative structures of the social partners, European social dialogue is a significant part of EU social policy in terms of its contribution to its legitimacy. In that regard, European social dialogue has emerged not only as one of the vital parts of the European social model, which comprises the concepts of compromise, consensus, and cooperation, but also as an important mechanism in the general framework of European governance.