ABSTRACT
Due to the lack of resources and competencies, the role of the EU in promoting social rights is rather limited and at most may serve as a laboratory for ideas which are at the disposal of all Member States. The success of a programme such as ‘Poverty 3’ relies more upon the character of the projects than upon their number or size (European Commission 1995a). The objective is to identify and disseminate social policy best practices. The Commission’s ambition is to serve as a catalyst for the exchange of ideas and experiences on a supranational level; the Community institutional framework and its philosophy of action should bring an added value to the programmes run in the different countries (European Commission 1995b: 10). The direct results for EU citizens of such a philosophy are difficult to judge, given the long-term objective. Moreover, EU action is intrinsically linked to state initiatives carried out by national partners.
