Trade union interests vary from country to country and reflect the political and social cul­tures in which they originate. As a result the unions must succeed in imbedding these in­terests in a supranational strategy and pro­gramme of representation. The conception of Europe as a sphere of social democracy de­mands that the divergent trade union interests do not lead to a Balkanization of the European union landscape, but rather the emergence of Euro-trade unions which balance out common ideas and divergent interests as a sort of la­boratory for interdependencies. There is no other way forward but the one marked by ar­duous efforts to manage trade union diversity. The art of conducting trade union policy with respect to Europe consists in meshing the various trade union cultures into a network of pluralistic interest representation. A look at the non-European world might be helpful in this venture. What it reveals is that the European trade union scene is in no way made up of absolutely heterogeneous ele­ments. Rather, there is a specific European identity to be found which makes possible a synthesis of diversity and unity, The features of an unmistakably European trade union cul­ture are: - recognition of the trade unions as the rep­resentative organs responsible for social is­sues. - a commitment to social democracy which finds support from the overwhelming ma­jority of the population and the political centre comprised of Social Democrats, Greens and Christian Democrats. = the socio-political claim of the unions to shape the future of labour in the modem society. These three reference points clearly distin­guish the politically ambitious European trade union and welfare-state models from both the business unionism contained in the liberal so­cial and labour model of the United States and the paternalistic factory system of Japan. 10 The ETUC as a Pioneer in the Development of Trade Union Policy on Europe The traditional values of solidarity, social jus­tice and the right to play a role in the shaping of society constitute the rudiments of a social culture common to the majority(if not all) of the West European trade unions. They are the connecting threads which will allow the cre­ation of a trade unionist Euro-activy in the con­text of an increasingly interdependent Europe. European integration is leading to an ever greater convergence of common, community­wide problems to which the trade unions must react with a new combination of centralized coordination and decentralized execution. Much speaks for the fact that the European Trade Union Confederation has made itself the center of supranational trade union politics as a consequence of developments in the EC. There can be no doubt that the ETUC is cur­rently the only recognized representative of European trade unions and that it has risen to the level of a priveleged interlocutor of such EC bodies as the Commission and the Euro­pean Parliament. According to a joint research group from the University of Amsterdam and the European University Institute in Florence, the ETUC is"the one and only voice of Labour in Western Europe". They also quote a high­ranking trade union official who states that the reform programme in 1991 further propelled the ETUC"from a coordination body between national centers into a supranational organiza­tion". The development of the ETUC into a signifi­cant representative of trade union interests is impressive confirmation of the fact that trade union unification has progressed alongside the process of European integration. The tend­ency toward the establishment of"super­unions" observed in certain countries(Great Britain and Germany) can be understood as a reaction to the development of a European economic sphere. It can also be seen that great hopes are being placed in Europe and