WEEKLY SUPPLEMENT / European library

*** CHRISTIAN DUFOUR, ADELHEID HEGE: L'Europe syndicale au quotidien. La représentation des salariés en France, en Allemagne, en Grande-Bretagne et en Italie. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes and Peter Lang (15 Jupiterstrasse, CH-3000 Berne. Fax: [phone] - Internet: http: //http://www.peterlang.net ). "Travail et société" series, No .24. 2002, 256p.. ISBN 90-5201-918-5.

Since the beginning of the 1990s, it appears that workers' representatives in companies have become more worried about their ability to carried out their jobs. "Company closures, technological changes, restructuring and new management modes have upset the usual environment and their capability to intervene". The internationalisation of the economy raises the question of "the ability of national models to continue even within the different companies". Christian Dufour and Adelheid Hege, researchers at the Institute of Economic and Social Research, begin examining the initial symptoms of this situation. In France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, they look at the respective systems and capacities, and assess how they deal with globalisation. The first part of the book essentially describes n ational scenarios. Les and then the authors invite us to travel through the world of employees, their representatives, branches and the unions in charge. The second part of the book compares the different practices in the countries studied. Three powerful conclusions are established. The first involves the role of the institutions. It would appear that they "do not play a decisive role in practical representation". In other areas, the dissimilarities are as significant as those presented in the different countries. The second conclusion, or rather the second most common experience, which is central to representation in the four countries, involves the relationship between the workers and trade unionists. In all countries there is a communion of representatives seeking legitimacy from those they represent. The means they use for obtaining this go beyond the recognised institutions that have been set up for this task. This involves more than elections, for example, it's the daily bread and butter issues that create trust. The writers of the book stress that: "In the four countries, economic changes threaten the balance between representatives and the groups of those represented". In the third conclusion, the similarities in the ways relationships are experienced within this trinomial set up at the shop floor, passing through the local representatives and then the centralised union body. A strong correlation exists between the quality of the union representation and the involvement of the union representatives. there is no link between the level of unionisation and the relationship between local representatives and the union's central office. It has in fact been pointed out that the most solid local teams are those that successfully go beyond immediate shop floor demands by way of mobilising more generalised participation. The originality of this book is found in the method that these social scientists have employed. They adopt a comprehensive approach that seeks to both describe and understand a system whose actors are living this experience subjectively. This method is, unfortunately, seldom used but has the advantage of providing more human analyses, which are perhaps more authentic too. Alain Dremière

*** ROBERTA NUNIN: Sindacato in Europa. La Confederazione Europea dei Sindacati di fronte alle sfide della moneta unica e dell´allargamento ad Est dell´UE. Dott. A. Giuffrè Editore S.p.A. (40 via Busto Arsizio, I-20151 Milan, Internet: http: //http://www.giuffre.it ) 2001, 125 pp, 9.50 euros. ISBN 88-14-09446-2.

The European Confederation of Trade Unions, European level union activities, the new challenges of the European economic and monetary area, as well as enlargement towards the East, are themes tackled in the this small pamphlet. the author concludes that despite some weaknesses, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of Nice provides the opportunity for enhancing union action in the EU. This concise publication also provides an introduction to European social dialogue and examines the role of unions in European integration. (PB)

*** MICHELE GASLINI: Sulla “Struttura” degli Enunziati costituzionali. Dott. A. Giuffrè Editore S.p.A. (voir coordonnées supra). " Università degli Studi di Lecce, Studi di diritto pubblico e di filosofia del diritto e della politica", Vol. 16. 2002, 321 pp, 25 euros. ISBN 88-14-09655-4.

This theoretical study explores the "Carta del Lavoro" of 1927, as well as corporate law in Italy. Professor Gaslini provides us with an historical and philosophical analysis of a specific aspect of constitutional history in his country. (PB)

*** CARLA GULOTTA: Le relazioni industriali nelle imprese multinazionali. I diritti di informazione e di consultazione dei lavoratori nell´Unione europea e nel diritto internazionale. Dott. A. Giuffrè Editore S.p.A. (voir coordonnées supra). "Università di Milano, Pubblicazioni della Facoltà di Giurisprudenza, Studi di diritto internazionale", Vol. 12. 2002, 267 pp, 22.50 euros. ISBN 88-14-09748-8.

Worker involvement in decision-making by large multinationals and workers' rights to be provided with information formed the core of industrial conflict that has rocked recent years. Carla Gulotta explores the legal dimension of the complex relations between workers and employers in the world of multinationals. She examines, for example, Directive 94/45 on European Works Councils. She also looks at other standards of international law in the book, such as the Council of Europe's Social Charter, statements and recommendations by the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations' code of conduct. The book will be a useful contribution to debate surrounding personnel management and the social partnership between employers and workers, factors often seen as the pillars of the European social model. (PB)

*** VERENA TSCHÖPE: Zeitarbeit. Ein aktueller Überblick zur Rechtslage in den Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union. Europa-Kontakt Informations- und Verlagsgesellschaft mbH Berlin (29, Breite Str., D-10178 Berlin. Tel: [phone] - Fax: [phone] - Internet: http: //http://www.europa-kontakt.de ). "Europa-Studien" series, Ausgabe 2. 2002, 91 pp, 48.50 euros. ISBN 3-9808024-2-6.

Can temporary work help solve the problem of unemployment and advance reform of the job market in Europe? This is the question considered in this book, a highly topical issue meriting the comparative analysis it is subject to here, comparing the various ramifications of temporary work and how it operates in the different countries of Europe. Germany lawyer Verena Tschöpe provides an overview of regulations covering temporary work in t he fifteen EU Member States and considers the debate at EU level, how it is evolving and various items of draft legislation. A useful list of the addresses and contact details for national and EU institutions and bodies is provided, along with clear legal explanations. A detailed publication that will be a useful source of information for any reader interested in this topic. (PB)

*** Manifeste pour l'égalité. Association points cardinaux. L'Harmattan (5-7 rue de l'Ecole Polytechnique, F-75005 Paris. Tel: [phone] - fax: [phone]). "Questions contemporaines" series. 2002, 155pp, 13.70 euros. ISBN: 2-7475-2382-9.

"The richest 20% of the human race owns 86% of the world's wealth". The Points Cardinaux association deliberately put this sentence at the beginning of their manifesto, like a wake-up call for the world. The authors jostle with conventions and facts criticising, for example, the fact that politicians spend their time “easing the conditions of the “excluded” without considering the crucial issue of their relations to the “included”, the way that inclusion creates exclusion”. The spotlight it put on social observatories (monitoring centres), which are reduced to entomological sites. Set up in 1993, the association aims to put equality at the centre of politics. It is characterised by a continual desire to give its fundamental research a practical tinge. Its ideas are well argued and its writers happily acknowledge that “at the end of the day, the views expressed by the group are political rather than scientific”. In brief, these are solidly argued, very left wing views. (AD)

*** MARTIN McKEE, ELIAS MOSSIALOS, RITA BAETEN: The Impact of EU Law on Health Care System. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes and Peter Lang (15 Jupiterstrasse, CH-3000 Berne. Fax: [phone] - Internet: http: //http://www.peterlang.net ). 2002, 314 pp. ISBN 90-5201-106-0

In Ghent in 2002 the Belgian Presidency of the European Union outlined the results of research into European integration and national social security systems, the subject of this book. Wanting to express its growing political nature, the EU must now take up the challenge of harmonising healthcare, promoting its ever more urgent social dimension. The authors of this book guide us through the maze of European legislation and its impact on health policy in the Member States. This is an in-depth study, echoing the ever growing public fears with regard to a system that is no longer run entirely by the state since the private sector provides optional additional coverage. Public health policy now has to take account of commercial activity. Patients' cross-border mobility and its multitude of implications are also considered. Cooperation and harmonisation are necessary, implying standardisation at all levels, from the name of medicines to a code of good practice for practitioners in the different countries. This book is the fruit of cooperation of various professors, aiming to outline areas of divergence to be ironed out and listing the cases brought before the European Court of Justice in this connection. (JNI)

*** DAVID WALTERS (Ed.): Regulating Health and Safety Management in the European Union. A study of the Dynamics of Change. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes and Peter Lang (see above). 2002, 346 pp. ISBN 90-5201-998.

Going over the origins and growth of health and safety legislation in seven Member States, the authors of this book (all lecturers) explain the controversy surrounding the transposition of Directive 89/391into domestic law. Different cultures, the economic impact, different national structures are some of the obstacles to international standardisation. The necessarily slow updating and incorporation of agreements clashes with the parallel development of the world of work and production techniques that mean they have to be adapted along the way. The increasing body of EU regulations is shaking up what was often seen as the employers' prerogative (the employers do, however, acknowledge the positive impact of the EU's policy). Employers see lower absenteeism, a business return on investment in health and safety. Although the number of accidents has work has sharply fallen since the directive was introduced, it is difficult to assess since during the same period, there was an increase in automation and lower manpower in high-risk industries. The book perfectly describes the business and historical background and the desire to take a dynamic approach to the working environment. (JNI)

*** ELIAS MOSSIALOS, MARTIN McKEE: EU Law and the Social Character of Health Care. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes and Peter Lang (see above). 2002, 259 pp. ISBN 90-5201-110-9.

Focussing on the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties, the authors of this book put the EU's healthcare policy (and its changes over time) into context. They have carried out in-depth research, highlighting the fundamental contradiction in the regulations - the often conflicting relationship between EU regulations and Member States' policies. The authors put forward a different European social model from that applying in North America, feeling that the current set-up is perfectly adequate since it has survived a series of economic phases and policy changes in the European Union. While not claiming to provide an exhaustive analysis of EU legislation impacting on healthcare systems, the recognised experts who wrote this book catalogue the impact of EU legislation in the key areas covered in their research. (MLJ)

*** CLAUDE LEMOINE: Se former au bilan de compétences. Comprendre et pratiquer cette démarche. Dunod (5 rue Laromiguière, F-75005 Paris. Internet: http: //http://www.dunod.fr ). 2002, 147 pp. ISBN: 2-10-006684-6.

Listing skills is not an assessment or a selection tool but provides a way of analysing skills and gradually refining ones plans with the help of professionals in a confidential environment, notes this book, aimed at skills assessors wishing to update their knowledge or novices wanting to become familiar with the concept. (AD)

*** EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following documents:

*** The Magazine. DG for education and culture (B-1049 Brussels. Fax: [phone] - E-mail: [e-mail] - Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/index_en.htm). 2003, No. 20, 19 pp.

European integration a nd the enlargement at a local level make up the essential part of this issue, which is also dedicated to the twinning of towns. Arising just after the Second World War, this concept is actively supported by the Union, which currently allocates funds to more than 11,000 boroughs. The ten winners of the Golden Star Award are also mentioned, which reimburses twinned boroughs that have carried out learning projects that are citizen-friendly.

*** Echo 2002. Humanitarian Aid office (B-1049 Brussels. Tel: [phone] - fax: [phone] - E-mail: [e-mail] - Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/echo/index_en.html). March 2003, 33 p..

The twentieth century was the century of humanity and Echo has taken part in this since 1992. But changing needs and responses have to be adapted. Beginning with a message from Commissioner Poul Nielson, this report reviews the major achievements, which in 2002, led to humanitarian aid, as well as a description of the action taken by Echo throughout the world. Certain situations and people are presented in more detail, such as the refugees from the western Sahara and the victims of the El Reventador volcano.

*** 2002 report. The EU Committee of the American Chamber of commerce in Belgium (50 av. des Arts, Box 5, B-1000 Brussels - Tel: [phone] - fax: [phone] - E-mail: [e-mail] - Internet: http://www.eucommittee.be ). 2003, 32 p..

This body represents US companies in Europe and shares the European ideal of the single market. In this annual report the organisation looks at its main activities over the last year, as well as the priority subjects for the future, such as Union enlargement, consumer confidence and the creation of a coherent environmental policy. The report also includes a list of magazines and brochures published by the organisation, as well as the agenda for its activities.

*** 2002 Annual report. EFTA Surveillance Authority (74 rue de Trèves, B-1040 Brussels. Tel: [phone] - fax: [phone] - Internet: http://www.eftasurv.int ). 2003, 99 p..

The role of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is to ensure, together with the Commission, respect by Member States- Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein - for agreements on the European Economic Area. This report presents the organisation's structure, as well as its work and statistics for 2002. On this occasion, movement of services and capital have been highlighted, as well as food safety.

*** Réalités industrielles. Editions Eska (12 rue du Quatre-Septembre,F-75002 Paris. Tel: [phone] - fax: [phone] - Internet: http://www.eska.fr ). "Annales des mines" series. February 2003, 70 pp, 22,11 euros.

This publication aims to reveal the views of young engineers about the current industrial situation. It also focuses on some of the most striking memories of a study carried out by young engineers working for the Corps de Mines. This picture, is often quite different from that provided by political leaders and centres on current industrial issues, such as dysfunctioning due to shoddy workmanship in public buildings, GMOs and the success of software packages in integrated management.

*** Carrefour de l'économie. SPF Economie, PME, Classes Moyennes & Energie (6 rue de l'Industrie, B-1000 Brussels. Fax: [phone] - E-mail: [e-mail]). 2003, No. 2-3A, 20 p..

In brief: a study of the energy market in 2001, fair trade coffee, "The tragic downside of a flourishing sector", the new European accounting reference (IAS standards) and the Observatory on Internet Rights' discussion forum.

*** Carrefour de l'économie. SPF Economie, PME, Classes Moyennes & Energie (see address above). 2003, No. 2-3B, 16 p..

This issue of the Belgian Ministry of the Economy entirely focuses on macro-economic data.