Is the Danish model still a sacred cow? Danish trade unions and European integration

Abstract

The aim of this article is to describe and explain how Danish trade unions have reacted to European integration since 1973 when Denmark joined the EEC. The authors have earlier conceptualized the orientation of Danish unions towards the European scene rather as foot-dragging and building on the defence of the ‘Danish model’, a model that has been cherished and guarded as a sacred cow. In this article we ask whether this is still the case after the changes that have taken place on the European and the Danish scene during the past decade. The answer is that it is. The article has two sections. In the first section we identify and describe the central features of Danish trade unionism and the Danish industrial relations system (the ‘Danish model’). In the second section we address the attitudes and policies pursued by Danish unions during different phases of European integration.