EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND SOCIAL CONVERGENCE: A QUALITATIVE APPRAISAL

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EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND SOCIAL CONVERGENCE A
QUALITATIVE APPRAISAL
Conference on National and Regional Economics 1-3
October 2008, Herlany, Slovak Republic.

• Nicole ATTIA
• Valérie BERENGER

CEMAFI Centre dEtudes en Macroéconomie et
Finance Internationale
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Main Goal of the Study

• Impact of the Treaty of Maastricht on social
  protection systems Is there a social
  convergence process?

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Summary of the presentation

• Evolution of the Social Welfare Concept in
  Europe.
• Social Convergence identification of common
  features in the reforms implemented?
• Conclusion

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1. Evolution of the Social Welfare Concept in
Europe.

• Institutional and Theoretical foundations of
  European Construction
• The Subsidiarity Principle
• Fiscal Federalism?
• Coordination or Harmonization of Social Welfare
  Systems?

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1. Evolution of the Social Welfare Concept in
Europe.

• Since the 80s the context changed
• The difficulties accumulate numerous
  contradictory challenges
• Weak growth, unemployment, ageing population
• New demands for social transfers
• At the same time
• Globalisation ?competitiveness
• Budgetary constraints imposed by TM and SGP

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1. Evolution of the Social Welfare Concept in
Europe.

• Anxieties appear
• The fear of a race to the bottom as a result of
  competition between the SP systems? risk of
  Social Dumping
• Questions re-appear
• Is the Subsidiarity Principle still pertinent
  today?
• Another design of Social Welfare appears
• Social protection as a possible control lever at
  the service of the European Unification

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2. The Social Convergence in Europe ?

• Since the 80s, similar challenges
• ? common responses ?? social convergence ?
• Social Convergence the actions of the European
  Commission
• 1989 The Charter of Fundamental Social Rights
• 1997 The Treaty of Amsterdam a social protocol
• 2000 The Treaty of Nice a social diary
• 2000 Summit of Lisbon adoption of the OMC

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2. The Social Convergence in Europe ?

• Social Convergence Reforms implemented in
  Member States
• Two main tendencies
• The Retrenchment of the Welfare State
• The traditional binary typology calling into
  question

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2. The Social Convergence in Europe ?

• The Retrenchment of the Welfare State
• In the main components of Social Protection (
  pensions, health, unemployment)
• Social benefits are less generous
• The market logic settles in

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3. Conclusion

• Analysis of the european social reforms
• ?a consensus is setting in
• - responsabilities of the actors
• - agreement over the means market mechanisms
• A social convergence process is underway in the
  European Union

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• Thank you for your attention