European works councils and 'flexible regulation': The politics of intervention

Much literature on European Works Councils (EWCs) is pessimistic, stressing their limited formal powers and the risks of isolation from broader mechan isms of worker solidarity and of 'capture' tay management. This article que stions such dismissive conclusions EWCs must be studied as an element in a more general and complex process of regulatory innovation within the EU. Th ree specific developments create 'windows of opportunity' for a more optimi stic scenario: the internal inconsistencies of managerial control, the new strategic importance of information flows, and the evolution of new bases f or supranational trade union cooperation.