"Europeanization and ways of interest representation by national business associations"

Wilts, Arnold. (2001) "Europeanization and ways of interest representation by national business associations" . In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2001 (7th), May 31-June 2, 2001, pages 23, Madison, Wisconsin.

Abstract

European integration has profound effects on existing systems of industrial relations in EU Member States. The role of unions and organized labour, in particular, has been subject to empirical research. The question of how such changes affect the strategic outlook and the representational activities of organized business interests, however, has largely remained unanswered. This paper concentrates its analysis on ways of interest representation by business interests associations in the Netherlands. The question of whether these organizations differentiate their representational strategies towards the national and the European level is answered on the basis of a survey among 103 Dutch trade and employers' associations. The paper argues that these organizations are in the process of adjusting their external affiliations to the demands of effective agitation in a multi-level governance system. The paper also concludes, however, that the national level remains the most important focal point in the representational strategies of business associations.