European trade unions play a major role in democratic interest intermediation. This role is currently threatened by the increasingly authoritarian strain in the EU's new economic governance (NEG). This research project aims to explore the challenges and possibilities that the NEG poses to labour politics. Until recently, European labour politics has mainly been shaped by horizontal market integration through the free movement of goods, capital, services and people. After the financial crisis, the latter has been complemented by vertical integration effected through the direct surveillance of member states. The resulting NEG opens contradictory possibilities for labour movements in Europe.

On the one hand, the reliance of the NEG on vertical surveillance makes decisions taken in its name more tangible, offering concrete targets for contentious transnational collective action. On theand governance levels, and their feedback effects on NEG;To develop a new scientific paradigm capable of accounting for the interplay between EU economic governance, labour politics and EU democracy.

Urgent challenges {#section1-1024258918770046}
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This project focuses on the way in which established European trade unions and new social movements respond to the EU's new economic governance regime. Until very recently, European labour politics has been shaped mainly by EU 'horizontal' market integration through the free movement of goods, capital, services and people. Since the Euro crisis however, the latter has been complemented by 'vertical' hierarchical integration effected through the direct surveillance of member states' macroeconomic policies, including industrial relations and social policy. The resulting new EU economic governance regime (NEG) opens contradictory possibilities for labour movements and politics in Europe.

On the