[Excerpt] This first Commission Report on Industrial Relations shows that European social policy has far-reaching effects; it is steadily becoming a more integral part of the decision-making and strategies of numerous players. That goes without saying in fields where the European Union has clearly defined and affirmed its principles: respect for fundamental social rights in a frontier-free Europe; workers' rights to information and consultation on company operations; social dialogue as a mainstay of good governance and a means of involving citizens in the European venture.