"Trade unions have always been a tool for the protection and advancement of workers' rights. At EU level, trade unions are represented in various levels and institutions and are significantly involved in the decision-making process either directly or indirectly. In Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia, as ex-socialist countries, trade unions have more or less conserved their role from the previous system and are still, to a greater or lesser extent, ‘under the hat' of the political parties in power, which are always eager to exercise some kind of control over the key positions. Trade unions in these countries still have weak management capacity and a lack of finances; the social dialogue is weak; and they are marginalised in the decision-making process. This article makes a comparison using contemporary observation of the current role of trade union organisations in the EU and in Macedonia (in the main), as well as in Serbia and Croatia, and of the impact they have on domestic decision-making processes. "

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