Representativeness of the social partners: Agricultural sector
October 2007
Comparative study [ 
size 639 kb ]
This report examines the operations of social partner organisations and collective bargaining in the agricultural sector. The first part of the report provides an overview of the agricultural sector’s economic background. The second part analyses the social partner organisations in the Member States of the European Union, with the exception of Sweden, and including the newest Member States Bulgaria and Romania. This section places particular emphasis on membership of the social partner organisations, their role in collective bargaining and public policy, and their national and European affiliations. The third and final part analyses the relevant European associations, in particular the composition of their membership and their capacity to negotiate. The aim of the EIRO series of studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and supranational social partner organisations in the field of industrial relations in selected sectors. The impetus for these studies arises from the goal of the European Commission to recognise the representative social partner organisations to be consulted under the EC Treaty provisions. Hence, this study is designed to provide the basic information required to establish sectoral social dialogue.
The study was compiled on the basis of individual national reports submitted by the EIRO correspondents. The text of each of these national reports is available below. The reports have not been edited or approved by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. The national reports were drawn up in response to a questionnaire and should be read in conjunction with it.