European Programme Progress

Call for Proposals on Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue


The call for proposals  the  VP/2011/001 Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue, Budget heading 04.03.03.01,  has been published in the framework of the European Programme Progress. The  budget heading 04.03.03.01 of the European Programme Progress intends  to cover grants for promoting social dialogue at cross-industry and sectoral level.
This call of the European Programme Progress will be used to finance consultations, meetings, negotiations and other actions designed to achieve the  objective of promoting  social dialogue at cross-industry and sectoral level.

Objectives of this call published in the framework of the European Programme Progress  include measures and initiatives related to the adaptation of social dialogue to changes in employment and work and related challenges, such as addressing modernisation of the labour market, quality of work, anticipation, preparation and management of change and restructuring, flexicurity, skills, mobility and migration, youth employment, contributions to the health and safety strategy, reconciliation of work and family life, gender equality, action in the field of anti-discrimination, active ageing, active inclusion and decent work.
Measures which will contribute to addressing the employment and social dimensions of EU priorities relating to the exit from the economic crisis and reaching the objectives and targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy and its flagship initiatives, will be particularly welcome.
Strengthening synergies and exchanges between European social dialogue sectoral committees and between the sectoral committees and the inter-professional level is a horizontal objective. Measures to support the European social partners and social dialogue committees undertake and contribute to impact assessment of the employment and social dimensions of EU initiatives will be particularly welcome. Measures to support European social dialogue and industrial relations initiatives contributing to the European Year for Active Ageing, can also be supported.

On the basis of these objectives, two sub-programmes have been defined in the framework of this call of the  European Programme Progress  :

1) Support for European social dialogue
This first sub-programme is divided into eight categories of action:
- measures to prepare European social dialogue, such as preparatory surveys, meetings
and conferences;
- measures regarded as part of social dialogue, such as negotiations, preparatory meetings for negotiations or activities relating to the implementation of negotiated agreements and other negotiated outcomes;
-  measures to implement the European social partners\' work programmes (such as the
organisation of round tables, exchanges of experience and networks of key actors);
- measures to monitor and follow up European social dialogue activities and outcomes, such as conferences and other initiatives to disseminate and evaluate the results of European social dialogue through European or national events, or through studies, paper or electronic publications (including the translation);
- measures to improve the coordination, functioning and effectiveness of European social dialogue, including through the identification and development of joint approaches by the social dialogue committees, such as the exchange of good practice and related joint training events;
- measures to strengthen the capacity of social partners to contribute to European social dialogue with particular attention to new Member States and Candidate Countries
(such as information and training seminars);
-  measures by social partners which contribute to the employment and social dimensions of the Europe 2020 Strategy and actions to implement the European Employment Strategy (EES) and to monitor and analyse its impact on labour markets;
-  measures to support the European social partners and social dialogue committees undertake and contribute to impact assessment of the employment and social dimensions of EU initiatives.

2)  Improving expertise in the field of industrial relations
The aim of this sub-programme is to improve expertise in industrial relations (especially
in European and comparative terms), to promote the exchange of information and experience among parties actively involved in industrial relations (companies, workers, public authorities and research centres) and to promote the development of industrial relations in Europe.

The following actions may be co-financed:
- general seminars or conferences on industrial relations, including preparatory studies, the organisation of round tables, exchanges of experience and networks of key actors and/or experts;
- initiatives to further the collection and use of information on national industrial relations systems and on developments at European level;
-initiatives to promote knowledge on effective industrial relations practices, including successful forms of worker participation, particularly in regard to the anticipation, preparation and management of change;
- initiatives contributing to the preparation or use (presentation, discussions and dissemination) of the European Commission\'s Industrial Relations in Europe report.

The deadline for the submission of applications is the following:
- 30 August 2011 for actions commencing no earlier than 30 October 2011 and no later than 22 December 2011 (indicative amount foreseen depending on the quality of proposals submitted: EUR 7 660 000).

In principle, the duration of an action is no longer than 12 months.

Under this call for proposals, the European Commission may decide to finance up to 80% of the total eligible cost of the action.

Further information on this call for proposal is available on the EC’s Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion web site at: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=630&langId=en&callId=292&furtherCalls=yes