A role for a pan‐European trade union movement?–possibilities in European IR‐regulation

Steps towards internationalisation of the trade union movement are considered in the context of the process of political and economic integration taking place in the EU. The trade unions are trying–partly via the ETUC–to play a role at pan‐European level. However, the European trade union movement is not a cohesive entity. Besides, it has no significant transnational power‐resources. These factors suggest that any European IR‐system will be based primarily on political regulation rather than on a system of collective agreements.