The Offer to Shape the European Social Union Until now one could not help but notice that economic cooperation has always been in the foreground of relations among EC countries. Not least of all this has been due to politically motivated attempts to control German econ­omic power through supranational integration. The renewal of the EC, which began in the mid-eighties and reached an important stage of development with the Single Market, con­firms the fact that economic interests have priority. The EC has become an instrument of European capital which needs a united econ­omic power to meet the global competitive presssures posed by the Japanese and Ameri­can poles. The EC has long since passed be­yond its status as an entity dominated and nearly ruined by protectionist agrarian inter­ests to an economic and technological com­munity with worldwide claims. A consistent continuation of this policy is to be found in the Maastricht Treaty on the"European Union". It is not a coincidence that the agreements on the European Currency Union have been negotiated to the smallest detail, while politi­cal and social union have only been given vague expression. Thus far the economic dynamic in Western Europe and the productiveness of its work­force have guaranteed social prosperity and simultaneously provided greater than average advantages to the lesser developed countries so that they have been able to make up ground and reduce the differences in devel­opmental level. Without doubt the EC has been an overall plus for all concerned. The tilt toward economic union is clearly no occasion to speak tearfully of a"Europe of the big corporations" or to voluntarily fall into left­wing abstentionism. That the advanced state of economic and currency union is not matched by similar progress in the area of so­cial issues is less due to the dictates of capi­tal than trade union disinterest. Until recently they had ignored the economic dynamic and neglected the task of shaping the social 6 dimension in Europe. Who is repsonsible for the European Social Union if not the trade unions? Only slowly has their attitude given way from demanding that the EC guarantee welfare-statism throughout the community to recognizing that they themselves have some homework to do. Despite the impression created by the game of blaming EC bodies(which is so popular in many quarters), there are already today good conditions for shaping the social dimension in EC-Europe. Some assume that social deregu­lation will be carried out across the entire community by the EC. But an examination of the situation reveals this to be based more on speculation than empirical evidence. In fact, the thesis can be proved that if the social dimension remains underdeveloped, it is due more to the deficient management of oppor­tunities on the part of the trade unions. This can be illustrated with five examples: 1. It cannot be denied that within certain EC bodies there are in fact representatives of certain political forces who look on the idea of a European social union with indifference or disapproval. The other side of the coin is ob­viously the fact that the grand coalition of So­cial Democrats and Christian Democrats ruling the EC Parliament has long been the fore-run­ner of a European Political Union. Key features of the coalition are the welfare state, co­determination and collective bargaining auton­omy. This coalition finds itself once again in a weakened state on the European Council. The EC Commission, on the other hand, is led by a socialist who comes from the French trade union movement. To the disappointment of the employers, the Directorate General V of the Commission(which is responsible for labour relations) and the Economics and Social Com­mittee are both pro-union. Significant means are made available, directly and indirectly, for trade union activities. For example, the EC fi­nances to a large degree the European Trade Union Institute and the European Trade Union Academy, in addition to many internatinal