The voice of social partners and social dialogue will be central in European decision-making, says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. This is the goal of the European Social Dialogue Pact signed in March. The need to strengthen civil society’s voice is also emphasized at the national level. The government plans to reform the Social Dialogue Council to improve its functioning, while entrepreneurs call for genuine consultations with social partners on laws proposed by the government.
“Strengthening social dialogue and civil society is absolutely necessary in these difficult times, when we see increasing pressure on civil society, social partners, but also, in some countries, on wages and working conditions. We therefore call on the European Commission to continue its work on proposals to cooperate closely with European social partners. Social dialogue must also be strengthened in member states,” said Oliver Röpke, Chair of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an institution bringing together trade unions, employers, and civil society organizations, in an interview with Newseria.
“Civil society cannot be a ‘voice from outside,’ but an integral part of the decision-making process,” emphasized Łukasz Bernatowicz, President of the Business Centre Club Employers’ Union.
Strong frameworks for operation are essential to strengthening civil society’s voice. One such initiative is the European Social Dialogue Pact, signed in March by the European Commission and European social partners, aimed at enhancing their role in shaping labor markets, employment, and social policy.
“I hope the Pact will bring tangible results — not just recommendations, but binding, real effects. The Commission should then entrust social partners with important matters, listen to them, and consult with them,” Oliver Röpke commented.
The Pact foresees the Commission appointing a European Social Dialogue representative and receiving joint reports from social partners on social dialogue at the EU level. A joint adoption of an action plan for quality jobs is also planned.
“We have just adopted our opinion on the new action plan implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights. We clearly state that high quality of working conditions must be supported — not only the quantity of available jobs but their quality. We also propose a new clear indicator for job quality,” said the EESC Chair. “We see more and more unstable, irregular forms of work. The EU has already taken some steps regarding platform workers, for example. But we must go further and ensure that workers in new forms of employment have the same rights as those traditionally employed. Access to social partners, collective bargaining, and social dialogue is crucial here — but it does not exist everywhere.”
For the EESC Chair, the directive on adequate minimum wages is especially important because it requires member states to promote collective bargaining and aim to cover 80% of workers.
“This is extremely important for all member states to achieve this ambitious goal as quickly as possible,” Oliver Röpke emphasized. “The directive currently awaits a decision by the Court of Justice of the EU. I sincerely hope the EU ruling will not block the development of social Europe.”
The EU Council also calls for strengthening social dialogue both at the EU and national levels. In a December document, it recommended that member states ensure environments conducive to bilateral and tripartite social dialogue, including collective bargaining, and support broader coverage. By December 7 of this year, member states must submit lists of measures — developed with social partners — taken to implement these recommendations.
“We should strengthen dialogue institutions in Poland, especially regarding social consultations, because experience shows that where consultations are held, expert voices from employers and trade unions lead to better laws that do not need repeated amendments,” said Łukasz Bernatowicz. “When the ‘Polish Deal’ package was processed, we submitted comments in the Social Dialogue Council that were ignored, and then the Deal was amended 800 times. This shows that dialogue is indispensable.”
He stressed that social dialogue is crucial for legal predictability and stability — essential for efficient business operations.
“From the business perspective, the Social Dialogue Council is very important because employer organizations representing businesses in the Council ensure that laws processed later in Parliament are sensible and workable,” Bernatowicz added. “The Council’s legislative mandate is strong, but practice shows it is uneven.”
In Poland, work is underway to amend the Social Dialogue Council Act and other social dialogue institutions. The draft was presented by the Ministry of Family and Social Policy in February and was socially consulted in spring. The government proposes that the Council include three largest representative organizations of trade unions and employers with the biggest social mandate, balancing both sides’ voices (currently, employers are represented by seven organizations, unions by three). For determining employer representativeness, a new criterion will confirm that an organization was not artificially created by a small group of employers paying high membership fees. The draft also allows for consolidation of social partners into federations and confederations for participation in the Council. The amendment aims to increase transparency, enable faster and more effective consensus, and improve debate quality.
“This is indeed a moment to refine these regulations,” said the BCC president. “The condition of social dialogue in Poland is perhaps slightly better than under the previous government but far from ideal. We still have a problem that constitutional ministers who are Council members regularly do not attend plenary meetings, with few exceptions such as Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk, who is always present. Otherwise, their attendance is sporadic. This should not be because the Council, operating under a law, with constitutional backing, and the president as patron, should have a stronger role in our lawmaking system.”
The need to strengthen social dialogue was discussed at the end of June during the annual meeting of Chairs and Secretaries-General of Social Dialogue Councils of EU member states and the EESC. The summit took place on June 25–26 in Warsaw. Economic and social councils from 13 member states participated, along with officials from the Polish Presidency of the EU Council and Labor Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk. The event’s theme was “Improving living and working conditions across the EU: the role of organized civil society,” with housing availability discussed alongside labor market issues.
An EESC February report states that the involvement of social economy entities (housing associations focused on limited profit, public benefit organizations, cooperatives) is a promising political innovation to address current housing challenges. These entities provide cost-effective, well-designed housing solutions supporting community cohesion and long-term housing stability. The report cites Vienna’s example, where non-profit and limited-profit housing accounts for 30% of the city’s housing production, playing a key role in stabilizing the housing market by lowering prices.
