Representation is a core element in labour and employment relations and one of the aspects which are more exposed to the changes in the socio-economic environment. Trade unions and employer associations are constantly influenced by developments in the labour market and employment structures and in the business and economic systems. They have to respond to a number of questions which shape collective employment relations and basically refer to some apparently simple issues: whom they shall represent and how. The increasing diversification in the labour market, due for instance to the growing importance of workers individual features and aspirations and to the variety of contractual frameworks, and in the economic environment, linked to the multiplication of business and organisational models, is challenging established representation structures and patterns. Mergers and restructuring are now a stable feature of representation systems and both trade unions and business/employer organisations explore new paths to better collect and represent the demands put forward by their constituencies. Similarly, whether representation takes place through collective bargaining, participatory practices, tripartite dialogue or by directly providing members with services may affect the ability to respond to the various members demands as well as the nature and structures of interest organisations.

On the employee side, such processes are intertwined with efforts aimed at revitalising unions and preserve and possibly expand membership levels, after a period of difficulty and almost generalised decline. On the employer side, the needs and demands of individual firms emerge as a pressing issue as well as the relevance of the transnational level of regulation, beyond the obvious importance of growing international competition.
In Europe, alongside the national level, the European Union plays an increasing role not only in the definition of employee representation in domestic and transnational firms, but also as an arena where both representation and representativeness become key elements of social dialogue on socio-economic policies.