Should we take the Potential of Europen Union Social Dialogue Seriously? Empty Hopes Related to the Article 152 of the Lisbon Treaty

The aim of the paper is to provide an analysis of the European Union's commitments towards social partners resulting from Article 152 of the TFEU. We are witnessing a serious assault on the regulations stated in Article 152 TFEU. Firstly, the EU violates the autonomy of the social partners through country specific recommendations addressed to the Southern countries, in which it expects the member states to breach the autonomy of the national partners by arbitrarily changing the rules of collective bargaining. Secondly, the EU does not provide sufficient support to the social partners in their efforts to create a social dialogue framework in those countries where, for historical reasons, the dialogue mechanisms have not emerged. A holistic reading of Article 152 of the Treaty constitutes a basis for action on the part of the European Commission which should not only be limited to supporting social partners at the European level but also extended to enhancing capacity of trade unions operating at the national level.