Protection of employees in the event of a change of employer in Serbia was first regulated by the Labour Act (2005). This was a result of the harmonization of Serbian legislation with Council Directive 2001/23/EC, while the effect of the European Court of Justice jurisprudence was negligible. Protection is guaranteed regardless of whether the company identity has been preserved or not, thereby making it more favourable than the European concept of transfer of undertaking. Nevertheless, the relevant provisions of the Labour Act have often been evaded in practice, especially when it comes to the application of the principle of preservation of employment. This was facilitated by the content of certain legal provisions. There is a notable need for their improvements, in order to enable employees to continue to work for the transferee under the same working conditions and be protected from dismissals exclusively or predominantly motivated by the change of employer.

Les fusions transfrontalières de sociétés de capitaux n’intéressent pas uniquement le droit des sociétés mais revêtent aussi d’importants aspects de droit social. Si la directive du 26 octobre 2005 facilite ces opérations, le renvoi aux législations nationales opéré soulève de nombreuses difficultés en l’absence de traitement harmonisé de leurs conséquences sociales. Les interrogations suscitées par la mise en oeuvre de la participation des travailleurs aux organes de gestion de la société issue de l’opération n’en sont qu’une illustration. D’autres questions relatives notamment au devenir des instances de représentation du personnel existant au sein des sociétés parties à la fusion, aux normes collectives ou aux contrats de travail, restent en suspens. A celles-ci et à d’autres, cette étude tente d’apporter des réponses. Les enjeux dont les fusions transfrontalières sont porteuses l’exigent. / Cross-border mergers of incorporated companies do not only interest Company Law but also comprise important aspects of Labour & Employment Law. If the European Directive dated 26 October 2005 facilitates these transactions, the reference made to national legislation raises many difficulties in the absence of harmonized treatment of the social consequences of transactions. The questions raised by the implementation of workers' participation in management bodies of the company resulting from the transaction are an illustration. Other issues include the fate of employees’ representative bodies of existing staff within the merging companies, collective norms and employment contracts, remain unresolved. To these and others, this study attempts to provide answers. The consequences of the cross-border transactions require that answers be given to the unresolved issues.