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Labour MovementServices DirectiveSwedish ModelEuropeanizationStrategic ChoiceLOTCOSvenskt NäringslivPolitical and administrative sciencesStatsvetenskapFörvaltningskunskapLaw and Political Science
The EU Services Directive has caused an intense debate across Europe. Its purpose is to remove obstacles to trade and to open up the public sector to increased competition. The Swedish labour movement has been deeply involved in the policy process, and union leaders have proclaimed the compromise reached in the European Parliament in April 2006 as a success.In the paper two major aspects have been considered: the meaning of the Swedish model and the process of Europeanization. The Swedish model previously allowed for a strong labour movement, through a social democratic hegemony, but the EU membership has implied new conditions for union influence. The paper examines how this change has affected the strategic choices of the Swedish labour movement, and how it has been manifested in the union's work with the Services Directive. The analysis is based on interviews with representatives from the two parties on the labour market, LO/TCO (the Swedish Trade Union Congress) and Svenskt Näringsliv (The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise).The main conclusion from the study is that the process of the EU Services Directive has illustrated a two-sided problem: the labour movement has lost influence over the overall political direction, compared to the Swedish Model, whereas it has gained influence over legal details. The co-operative approach shows that the labour movement has adapted to demands stemming from the Europeanization and accepted the new European pluralistic framework. In the long term, this can be seen as a contributing factor to the weakening of the labour movement.