The birth of a Europe with 25 Member States and the adoption of the draft constitutional Treaty were indisputably the two outstanding European events of 2004. Yet that traditional pairing of 'broadening' and 'deepening', until now one of the main dynamics in the building of Europe, seems to be reaching its limit, as revealed by the extensive debate - and controversy - surrounding these two events throughout the year.

Over and above these issues, the European Union's chosen socio-economic model is undergoing a painstaking reappraisal, especially given the likely repercussions of the much-discussed 'Services' Directive (also known as the Bolkestein Directive), but also in the run-up to the mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy and the revision of the 'Working Time' Directive. These debates are symptomatic of a threefold identity crisis: geographical (how much further should enlargement go?), political (how much more deepening should there be?) and socio-economic (on what model should we build?).

The contributors to this edition of Social Developments in the European Union examine various aspects of these debates: the Bolkestein Directive, pension reform, employment policy, social dialogue and coordination of healthcare systems, but also asylum and immigration, case law and institutional reform. This list of topics alone demonstrates the extent of Europeanisation of - or European 'intrusion' into - national social debate. The analyses contained in this volume likewise highlight the important role of political, economic and social stakeholders in these increasingly overlapping domains.

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