Conclusions and outlook : more challenges and some opportunities for industrial relations in the European Union

The chapter presents some remarks on the prospects of industrial relations in the European Union. Following the recent legislative reforms that pushed the national systems towards decentralisation, under the assumption that this would support competitiveness and economic growth, the social partners often responded pro-actively and preserved their autonomous joint control of the bargaining structure. On the other hand, the social partners could hardly tackle the erosion of collective bargaining coverage without the support of the state. Such mutual dependence of the state and the social partners suggests that cooperation could be essential to devise and implement effective reforms aimed to exploit the potential of industrial relations for achieving economic and employment goals.