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TRUE EUROPE: Trust in Relations between Unions and Employers in Europe

Building Trust for Stronger Social Dialogue in Europe – The TRUE Europe Final Conference in Brussels

Oct. 13, 2025

On Friday, October 10, 2025, the TRUE Europe Final Conference brought together researchers, trade unionists, employers’ representatives, and policymakers at Mundo Madou in Brussels to discuss how trust can strengthen industrial relations and collective bargaining across Europe.

The event, hosted in the inspiring and comfortable Mundo Madou venue, marked the culmination of a three-year international research project exploring trust in industrial relations in eight European countries and three key sectors — metal, transport, and banking & finance.

The conference opened with remarks by Bengt Larsson (Linnaeus University), followed by an engaging keynote on the importance of trust by Mark Bergfeld (UNI Europa).

A comparative presentation and a rich research debate featured contributions from leading scholars including Margaret Heffernan (Dublin City University), Ylva Ulfsdotter Eriksson (Linnaeus University), Julija Moskvina (Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences), Adam Šumichrast (CELSI), Mihail Arandarenko (University of Belgrade), and Alina Popescu (Bucharest University of Economic Studies), moderated by Monika Martišková (CELSI).

A high-level panel discussion, chaired by Bengt Larsson, brought insights from Josef Maurer (European Transport Workers’ Federation), Isabelle Barthès (industriAll Europe), Carin Hallerström (Nordic Financial Unions), and Torsten Müller (European Trade Union Institute).

The discussion focused on how trust can boost collective bargaining coverage and make Europe’s social dialogue more resilient.

The afternoon co-creation session, facilitated by NextEconomyLab (NELA) and CELSI, enabled participants to collaboratively identify the most effective mechanisms for strengthening social dialogue through trust-building — ensuring that the project’s results translate into practical, evidence-based tools for unions, employers, and policymakers alike.

The conference concluded with Aurora Trif (Dublin City University) summarising key takeaways and future steps for cooperation within the TRUE Europe network.

It was a day full of inspiring exchanges, constructive ideas, and genuine enthusiasm for advancing trust and cooperation in European industrial relations.

✨ We sincerely thank all participants and partners for joining us, for their valuable insights, and for helping make the conference such an inspiring and successful event.

👉 For all research reports, country studies, and soon the comparative report, visit: https://true-europe.celsi.sk/deliverables/

More at: https://true-europe.celsi.sk/news/building-trust-for-stronger-social-dialogue-in-europe-the-true-europe-final-conference-in-brussels/

#TrueEurope #SocialDialogue #CollectiveBargaining #TrustBuilding #IndustrialRelations

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