Emergence of a new sphere of social policy by the European Union

This chapter focuses on the existence, extent and context of the new sphere of social policy created by the EU. It presents a historical analysis of the development of EU social policy concerning the Member States and their citizens up until the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997. The chapter aims to consider several concrete examples demonstrating transnational features of EU social policy. It argues that a new sphere of social policy, with an innovative legal and institutional framework. The chapter considers the idea of social governance by the EU, which has recently emerged in parallel with European integration theories and summarises recent trends in EU social policy after the Amsterdam and Nice Treaties. A newly emerging sphere of social policy implemented on the basis of an innovative legal and institutional EU framework constitutes a part of social governance. The brief history of EU social policy shows that certain concepts and limited policies have existed since the early period of European integration.