The EU Amsterdam Treaty well received by the Danish social partners

The Danish social partners have expressed satisfaction with the new draft EU Treaty agreed in Amsterdam in June 1997.

Danish trade union and emplyoers' organisations have expressed satisfaction with the new draft () Treaty agreed by the Member States' Governments in Amsterdam in June 1997 (EU9707135F)

Svend Aage Nielsen, the president of theConfederation of Danish Industries (DI) views the new perspectives for Eastern Europe as the most important changes in the new Treaty, saying: "Of course, one might have wished that the 15 Member States had gone further. Of course we are eager to advance, because Europe has unique opportunities - in a few years we will be welcoming some Eastern European countries and eventually there will be 25 Member States in the EU. Who could have hoped for such a development only 10 years ago?"

The Danish trade unions are satisfied with the inclusion of the social policy Agreement and Protocol (currently annexed to the Treaty) into the Treaty itself, thus ending the United Kingdom's "opt-out". In this respect, the unions hope that cooperation on the social dimension of the EU can be reinforced. According to the National Union of Metalworkers (Dansk Metal): "Through the EU, brutal market forces are kept in place. Europe will now become more social. The United Kingdom has now indicated that it intends to be party to the social Protocol and in addition, fundamental rights of workers have now been written into the Treaty. Our union wishes to maintain the Danish model and there has been no indication in the new Treaty that the European Court of Justice will interfere with the Danish Model. "

Traditionally the social partners in Denmark have been in favour of EU cooperation in the field of social policy, and the trade unions have been pressing for fundamental workers' rights to be incorporated into the Treaty. One issue has, however, been of some concern - the extent to which EU Directives can take effect in Denmark via collective agreements. Since most industrial relations regulation regarding working conditions in Denmark takes effect via collective agreements and not by legislation, the unions believe that it is vital that collective agreements can continue to be the vehicle whereby EU Directives are implemented. This question has so far not been called into question by the European Commission. However the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has yet to rule on this matter. For this to happen, an individual or another Member State will have to put the case before ECJ. The critics of the Maastricht Treaty in Denmark used this issue in 1992 to illustrate "the rigid harmonisation and disadvantages of more EU integration". This issue is less likely to emerge again as the critics took the Danish Government to court in 1992 and argued that the Maastricht Treaty violated the Danish constitution.

One well-known problem remains - how to persuade the Danish people to vote "yes" in the forthcoming referendum on the ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty? The major political parties across the Danish political spectrum advised people to vote "yes" to the Maastricht Treaty - but, as many will recall, it took two national elections and several Danish "opt-outs" from the Treaty before the Danes voted "yes", and then by only a small majority.

The social partners have a huge challenge ahead of them. They will have to take on the responsibility of explaining the improvements in the new Treaty to the Danish people if the first "no" in 1992 is not to be repeated.