Challenges and opportunities for social dialogue and tripartism

This publication summarises the presentations and discussions which took place at the conference, ‘Tripartism in an enlarged European Union’, in Elsinore on 29 and 30 October 2002. Jointly organised by the Foundation and the Danish Ministry of Employment, the conference contributed to the theme ‘social inclusion through social dialogue’ which the Danish Presidency had chosen to highlight as its central message in the social policy field. The conference reviewed the present state of tripartism in the EU and discussed the challenges it will face in an enlarged Union. Conference workshops dealt in detail with such issues as employment policy and tripartism and how to enhance capacities for tripartism in the candidate countries. The Foundation was pleased to witness the full participation of governments and social partners from the candidate countries at the Elsinore conference.