Since 1991, the substantive content of EC legislation in the area of social policy has been formulated by organisations that have not been legitimated democratically: the European social partners. This procedure is being justified on the grounds of the employers associations and trade unions' «representativity». The following contribution aims to show that since the European social partners' representativity is partial and inadequate, this justification does not hold. The Community institutions are, therefore, called upon to safeguard the interests of those who are under- and mis-represented.
International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations