ABSTRACT
In 1992, the Economic and Social Council was founded which integrated all relevant economic and social interest groups. According to Oscar Molina, industrial relations are in the transition from a state-led neocorporatism to new soft methods of governance in which the state is only one part of it complemented by the private interest groups. The European integration process has created many opportunities for interest groups to create transnational networks and influence policy at different levels of the emerging European Union political system. The establishment of the Composition of the Spanish Economic and Social Council was linked to the growing integration of Spain into the European Union. During the transition to democracy, the Union of Democratic Centre governments were dependent on the moderation of the social partners in order to undertake the democratisation of the political system and liberalisation of the economy. The economic crisis has led to an emergence of urban movements which clearly shaped the political discourse.
