The book series Changing Europe contains edited volumes dealing with current political
economic and social affairs in Eastern Europe and the enlarged EU. The core of the series is
formed by contributions to the Changing Europe Summer Schools which are being organised by the
Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen. The series is edited by
Dr. Sabine Fischer (EU Institute for Security Studies Paris) Dr. Heiko Pleines (Research
Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen) and Prof. Dr. Hans-Henning
Schröder (University of Bremen and German Institute for International and Security Affairs
Berlin).The central question addressed by the papers collected in this book is whether trade
unions from the post-socialist states have successfully represented their interests at the EU
level. At issue is not only their purely formal integration into umbrella organizations and EU
bodies of much greater concern is their actual participation in political decision-making
processes and the resulting impact at the national and sub-national level. The book therefore
examines the integration and Europeanisation of a vital part of those societies which joined
the EU in 2004. The empirical focus is on case studies from the Czech Republic Poland and
Slovakia.The book is based on the research project 'Already arrived in Brussels? Interest
representation of trade unions from the new EU member states at the EU level' which was - with
financial support from the Otto Brenner Foundation - carried out under the guidance of the
Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen.
