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New ’Social Europe’ After Crisis: How Much of it is Still Social?

Karolina Zurek
Stockholm University
Karolina Zurek
Stockholm University

Abstract

In response to the criticism of the impact of crisis measures on social policy in Europe and the hegemony of economic rationale of the recovery instruments, the EU has undertaken a number of initiatives aiming to reinvigorate Social Europe. The rhetoric of ‘social investment’ and ‘social dimension strengthening’ speaks to the public sentiment and image of the weakened ‘social’, which will now be improved and supported to catch up with the ‘economic’. Against this background, growing unemployment, and weakening labour protection in many Member States, as well as increasing social unrest translated into public protests and judicial challenges of reform measures, suggest development in quite opposite direction. This calls the idea of New Social Europe into doubt. The proposed paper aims at critical legal analysis of the flagship post-crisis social measures (Social Investment Package, EMU Social Dimension) and of their reform potential in the larger framework of EU economic governance.