"The difficult process of bringing CEE institutions and practices into line with those in the existing EU was accelerated at Copenhagen in December 2002 as accession negotiations were concluded. Elsewhere in the CEE, organised labour remained weak under high levels of unemployment and fewer workers entering the labour force as individual employers took advantage of favourable bargaining conditions and the absence of significant multi-employer bargaining. Unions did, however, retain their political influence as seen in the revisions to Labour Codes in several countries in 2002. They also had expectations of greater post-accession influence through their incorporation into the EU's social partnership framework."

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