EU Enlargement Versus Social Europe?

📖 The Scoop

'Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead discusses the future of Social Europe with 25 and more countries, on the basis of a very detailed and well documented assessment of future member states. He rightly insists on the risks entailed by widening social and regional inequalities and the obsession with economic reforms, sometimes to the detriment of social and cohesion policies. However, he also points out that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe would benefit from a valorisation of solidarity, and that the European Union has everything it needs to boost the solidarity required to address the great imbalances that have emerged over the last decade. This book thus properly addresses the important question of solidarity in a greatly enlarged Europe and, more fundamentally, that of the future of its social model, something virtually unique to Europe. By opening up the issue of Social Europe, this crucial 'construction site', this book will contribute to the anticipation of eventual problems, and help us to overcome obstacles, both post-enlargement and in preparation for further accessions. The social dimension of the European construction is often little known and little understood in both current and future member states. However, it is the condition for making of the enlarged Europe not only a Europe of the economy and trade, but also a broad space combining competition, cooperation and solidarity, as well as an example of how to manage interdependencies and master globalisation.' - From the foreword by Jacques Delors, President, Notre Europe The decision to enlarge the European Union by ten (eventually thirteen) countries has surprisingly not been accompanied by much discussion of the implications for Social Europe. This has led to criticisms that enlargement is a purely economic process that will sweep aside important social considerations: a Will the much lower labour costs and social standards in the applicant countries - especially those from Central and Eastern Europe - lead to 'unfair' competition or 'social dumping'? a Will this process in turn encourage current EU member-states to run-down their own social provisions in order to be able to compete with the newcomers? a Do the specific features of this new accession wave - the largest enlargement so far and including markedly less-developed countries - threaten the global survival of the so-called 'European Social Model'? a What policies should be implemented in order to avoid a weakening of current European social standards? These are the main questions this book attempts to answer, on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the social policy areas most relevant to EU enlargement - wages, working conditions, social protection, employment, industrial relations - while also addressing its most sensitive 'social dumping' aspects: capital relocation, labour migration, and redirection of trade. EU enlargement is higher than ever on the policy agenda and scholars and researchers of European Studies and social policy will find this book an invaluable reference.

Genre: Business & Economics / Economics / General (fancy, right?)