Tripartism has been all the rage since the early days of Eastern and Central Europe's transition. In the Visegrad countries its institutionalisation has often been formal. In the eastern and western Balkans on the other hand, peak-level social dialogue has been clearly mobilised and institutionalised by governments. By comparing Bulgaria and Romania, this article seeks to highlight the inherent traits of these two experiences in tripartism, since the transition through to the present crisis. The identification of a " tripartism of political legitimacy " echoes and complements the thesis of an " illusory corporatism " put forward by D. Ost (2000). It raises two questions that run through research today. The first concerns the decisive role played by factors external to domestic socio-politics, and which for both these countries exemplify the model of " dependent capitalism ". The second refers to the terms and channels of social Europeanisation in the enlarged EU, being applied here to social dialogue. By way of conclusion, the article stressed a congruence, if not real convergence, between this governmend-led tripartism and the ever-more functionalist and partnership-oriented social dialogue promoted by the EU over the last decade.