Information and consultation practice across Europe five years after the EU Directive
January 2011
Comparative study [ 
size 342 kb ] - see also the Executive Summary [ 
size 45.9 kb ]
This report provides an overview of the extent, practice and impact of employee information and consultation (I&C) in 26 European countries five years after the implementation date of Directive 2002/14/EC. Procedures for establishing I&C arrangements and the scope for organisation- or sector-specific I&C models via collective agreement vary considerably between countries. The incidence and coverage of I&C bodies is less than comprehensive in all countries, with a marked size effect (larger undertakings are more likely to have an I&C body than smaller ones). Trade unions are the main vehicle for employees’ statutory I&C rights in a number of countries and tend to be influential within works council-type I&C bodies in others. The social partners generally support their national I&C frameworks, but in some countries, employers and/or unions reportedly have little enthusiasm for implementing I&C procedures. The patchy evidence available makes it difficult to reach a measured assessment of I&C practice.
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.