Delighted to contribute to the launch of the book “What Comes After Neoliberalism? Towards an Alternative Political Imaginary”, to which I contributed the chapter “The Paradoxical Role of the EU and the State Regarding the Fundamental Rights of Trade Unions in Romania: Oscillating Between Support and Undermining.”

Together with Prof. Dr. Aurora Trif (Dublin City University) and Dr. Dragoș Adăscăliței (Eurofound), we analyzed in depth the changes concerning the fundamental rights of trade unions in Romania after 1989.

Our chapter explores the shifting roles of the state and the European Union, from supporting trade union rights before the 2008 crisis to undermining them in 2011. With the introduction of the European Pillar of Social Rights in 2017, the EU reoriented its stance, supporting the restoration of union rights in line with International Labour Organization conventions.

We highlight the EU’s significant contribution to the repeal of the Social Dialogue Law no. 62/2011 and the adoption of Law no. 367/2022, which partially revitalized trade union rights. The chapter also examines the new legal provisions on freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to strike.

My heartfelt thanks to the editors Prof. Dr. Sorin Gog (Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj) and Dr. Victoria Stoiciu (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung) for their inspiring collaboration and support in bringing this project to life.

Deep gratitude to my co-authors and to Prof. Dr. Svetlana Khapova (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), without whom this achievement would not have been possible.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr. Doru Șchiopu, President of the Free Union of Shipyard Workers, for his outstanding commitment to the revitalization of trade unions in Romania.