Since the beginning of the European integration process, there has been a clear commitment to provide employees in Europe with the right to be involved in company decision-making. From the 1970s, this has led to the adoption of various European directives which supplement and enhance national worker participation rights.

With recognition of workers’ rights to information and consultation as EU fundamental rights (e.g. via the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), and adoption of the European Works Council (EWC) Directives (94/45/EC and the Recast 2009/38/EC), the European Company (SE) Directive (2001/86/EC), the Framework Directive (2002/14/EC) on information and consultation, and other legal instruments (including for workplace health and safety), the relevance of European legislation has significantly increased. With the ongoing development of these instruments, the worker-participation.eu website provides a ‘living’ tool for workers, unions, and other stakeholders to use in addressing matters around worker participation and democracy at the EU level.