The transposition of the Framework Directive for Informing and Consulting Employees in the Member States was due 23 March 2005. In December 2005, the ETUI-REHS presented an implementation report of EU Council Directive 2002/14/EC based on the replies to the questionnaire elaborated within the frame of the NETLEX and circulated to ETUC affiliates. Main purpose of this comparison is to analyse the domestic implementation provisions of directive 2002/14/EC in the EU Members States and some of the acceding countries.

It focuses on the stumbling blocks for national transposition. It appears already that many Member States adopt a minimal interpretation in their transposition measures. Additionally, the second purpose of the report is to relate the hard and difficult climb to democracy in the undertaking in Europe. It shows, that the right to information and consultation, a European social value and a major and fundamental trade union right remains a fragile ‘acquis’ in the European Union, calling for a mobilisation of all the bodies concerned.