ABSTRACT

This chapter will consider four themes. First, it will trace the recent development of European social policy, from its inception as a minor component of the founding treaties of the European Community, to its position at the heart of debates about the future of the Union. Second, there will be reflection on the prospects for the convergence or divergence of social policy in terms of policy inputs, outputs and outcomes. Third, there will be a review of the key recommendations of recent EU policy documents, including the Union White Papers on Growth, Competitiveness, Employment and Social Policy. The chapter will conclude by arguing that the substantive (as opposed to rhetorical) distance between the United Kingdom and other member states of the Union is less than is often supposed, and that efforts should be made to reintegrate Britain into the mainstream of EU social policy.