What is Futurisme I

FUTURISME - Future of Social Dialogue in SMEs" is a project of UEAPME and the ãAcademy Avignon" (European Academy for Craft-Trades and SMEs) to anticipate and prepare for new challenges of working relations in SMEs and craft-trades. The project is co-financed by the European Commission (European Social Funds) and builds on the long lasting experience of working relations in craft-trades and SMEs including the social dialogue, represented by UEAPME and its member organisations, as well as on comprehensive discussions with representatives of European Trade Unions.

National and European policy makers regularly underline the importance of crafts-trades and SMEs in terms of job creation, vocational training and social stability as key elements to overcome the current employment crisis in Europe. Also, for the aim of a successful enlargement process of the European Union, SMEs and their working relations will be of crucial importance for the creation of more dynamism, welfare and social stability. This important role of SME was again emphasised at the Lisbon Summit this year.

The partners in SME working relations and their social dialogues have to play their role in surmounting these challenges. FUTURISME takes up this responsibility and tries to find out new and efficient concepts and models for co-operation between social partners, on different levels, to meet these challenges.

Therefore, FUTURISME deals with three main issues:

1. New forms of working relations and social dialogue in SMEs: technological and structural changes, new working organisations, structures for negotiations and dialogue on all levels; challenges of globalisation, etc.;
2. Impact of European Union Enlargement on the working relations in SMEs including the future of the social dialogue: adaptation of working conditions, impact on the European Labour Market, free movement of services, freedom of establishment, support to social partners of applicant countries, etc.;
3. Anticipating changes in the labour market: preparing for new contents and forms of training; principle of dialogue at all levels, costs of training, training as an investment, legal framework and collective negotiations, etc..

For each item, two seminars and a pilot project were organised in order to obtain practical experience.

Project results and recommendations:

On 17th and 18th of May 2001 the final conference of the FUTURISME Project took place in Brussels, the results and recommendations of the whole project were discussed with the representatives of Europe's SME organisations and the European Institutions.

Futurisme II