In their work programme 2003-2005, the European social partners (UNICE-UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC) agreed on a number of actions to be taken in the coming years, and launched the Integrated Programme of the European Social Partner Organisations, which includes the following projects:

1. Social dialogue in CEECs: what are social partners' needs?;

2. Study on restructuring in new member States;

3. Competence development for the European social dialogue; and

4. Resource centre for social partners.

The project aims to provide the European social partners with specific information on the ten new EU member states to influence the next social policy agenda and identify relevant issues for future joint work by the social partners.

This project is managed by the ETUC on behalf of the four European social partner organisations and it is benefiting from financial support of the European Commission.

The project "Study on restructuring in new member States" consists of three phases:

In Phase 1 a national dossier, covering the broad economic, social and legal context of the ten countries involved as well as social dialogue, is prepared by an expert on behalf of the European Social partners.

Social partners in the respective countries are involved in the preparation of the dossier. The draft dossier prepared by the experts is presented to the social partners of the respective countries during a national seminar. (The Malta seminar was held on Tuesday and Wednesday);

In Phase 2 a draft synthesis will be prepared on the basis of 10 dossiers and structured around three to four priorities common to the EU 25. The priorities will be debated on two thematic seminars for the social partners of 25 member-countries.

In each theme one to two case studies will be also presented. The results of the debates will be included in the final version of the synthesis of 10 dossiers.

Social partners (employees and employers) from the new member countries will be entitled to delegate a total of 60 persons (six persons per country, three persons representing each side), and 40 persons as a total from the EU-15. The two-day thematic seminars will take place in Brussels in May, 2006;

In Phase 3 of the project, the full study will be discussed in the social dialogue committee to identify the priorities for the next EU social policy agenda and future joint work by social partners.