Documents Stuchlik, Andrej 5 results

"How do the EU member states address the most pressing social problems these days? Are their reform policies sufficient to safeguard social inclusion? The first edition of the SIM Europe Reform Barometer gives the answers.



This pilot study, which is based on a qualitative survey among social policy experts across Europe, shows that social policy reforms have lost momentum in many European countries. It reveals that there is a clear mismatch between problem awareness and problem response in a number of EU member states.



The authors of the study conclude that there is an increased need for action at EU level. Concretely, the European Union should align better its two key objectives of growth and social justice and streamline the existing instruments to foster social inclusion."

"The development of a European economic and social model poses serious challenges for European trade unions. On the one hand, demand for a strengthening of the social dimension of the European integration project is growing and it is realised that this cannot be achieved by unilateral action at the national level. On the other hand, the identities and organisational capacities of trade unions are deeply embedded in national welfare state institutions, limiting the leeway for a common European social model. This article presents empirical evidence from over 100 interviews with trade union leaders and politicians from 17 EU Member States on trade unions' positions in various policy fields (economic, social and competition policies). The conclusion is that unions should reflect more critically on their embeddedness in national welfare state arrangements in order to move forward together towards the realisation of a Social Europe."