Social dialogue and EMU in acceding and candidate countries

Enlargement of the European Union to a further 10 countries in May 2004 will present huge challenges, particularly in the economic sphere. This report documents the industrial relations situation in all 10 acceding countries - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia - as they prepare for Economic and Monetary Union. It is based on joint research carried out by the Foundation in cooperation with the Swedish Work Life and Enlargement project. The report looks at each country's capacity to support the convergence process towards the Maastricht criteria, by means of national development programmes currently in operation. Above all, it shows how social dialogue can be harnessed to generate economic growth in conjunction with employment and social protection in these countries.