The article asks whether social dialogues, according the procedures of the Social Protocol and the Amsterdam Treaty, have proved to be valuable instruments able to make major contributions to the development of social integration. More recent developments at the inter-professional as well as at the sectoral level are evaluated. Furthermore, major trajectories for likely future trends at both levels are highlighted. The final part discusses the problem of whether social dialogues will profit from the introduction of new modes of governance, especially the more recently preferred open method of coordination.

This article deals with recent developments of atypical employment in Germany, its present extent and current patterns. In its introductory remarks it differentiates between standard employment and atypical forms. It then describes the development and structures, enabling an analysis of the long-term consequences. It goes on to introduce a crucial distinction between atypical and precarious employment on the basis of explicitly defined criteria. The article ends by presenting certain explanations to a large extent missing in existing research.

This article addresses current issues and relevant prospects of EU social dialogues at sectoral level. It examines fundamental difficulties ‘post-Lisbon’, especially as regards implementation, including procedures for follow-up and monitoring. The article also deals with the Commission’s most recent Staff Working Document on sectoral social dialogue, raises major caveats and elaborates on various prospects of most recent voluntary results (‘autonomous agreements’ and ‘process-oriented texts’).

The Social Protocol of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union promoted new forms of social dialogue. These could be considered on the one hand as instruments of European social policy; on the other, it could be argued, they mirror the range and degree of the Europeanization of industrial relations. In contrast to the most recent literature, this article focuses not on the `interprofessional' but on the sectoral variant of social dialogue. The empirical analysis of its constraints and potential is based on qualitative case studies of selected sectors (engineering, construction, transport and the public sector). Our results reveal significant differences between sectors. The sectoral application of the Social Protocol confronts such problems as the organizational prerequisites of the social partners, implementation procedures and the future role and function of the Commission. In the conclusion, different future scenarios are discussed.

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