Methodological Aspects

In so far as achieving the call objectives is concerned, the project partners have come to the conclusion that the best approach to promote the setting up of structures and procedures to promote trans-national cooperation in respect of information, consultation and participation of representatives of undertakings in the small new EU member states is by assembling a body of information on the benefits and on the proper methods of setting op European Works Councils in accordance with the principles of the Open Method of Coordination, the ethics and policies underlining equality and social inclusion and the best methods of implementation in various sectors, record its progress and success, and the setting up a strategy to disseminate this information first to the project partners, then eventually, across the European Union. In this sense, this project can be described as a pilot project which shall provide a platform upon which further improvements will be built.

The Project partners have also realised and shall act in a manner to address the importance of ensuring that in conducting research, all the ethics and law of research of the country in which research is being conducted are fully respected. Also the researchers carrying out research shall be required to retain an audit trail of the data they have collected in order for the partnership to be in a position to ensure its validity and reliability.

The project partners shall also be taking care to ensure that no person is excluded from benefiting from this project on economic grounds, language, culture, and physical disability. The project material shall be available online in its entirety and it shall be accessible free of charge. The project material shall be made available in all the languages of the partnership and in French and in English to ensure maximum accessibility throughout the entire European Union. Organisations in countries which where not represented in the project but which still intend to benefit from it can be provided with the project material, in English or in French or in any language of the project consortium and shall be allowed to translate it into any language of their choice. Furthermore, the project partners shall ensure that the project events do not fall on days of cultural or religious significance.