ABSTRACT
Labor markets and industrial relations systems have dramatically changed since the early 1990s due to cultural (e.g., individualization) and structural (e.g., globalization, aging) developments. In its influential 1997 Green Paper on ‘Partnership for a New Organization of Work’, the European Commission emphasized the importance of improving flexibility on the one hand and safeguarding security on the other, while acknowledging difficulties due to these ongoing cultural and structural shifts. Hence, the distinct concept of flexicurity entered into Europe’s policy agenda, notably within the framework of the European Employment Strategy (EES). In 2007 the European Parliament endorsed a resolution entitled ‘Common Principles of Flexicurity’ in response to a Commission Communication, and the Council then adopted eight common principles of flexicurity emphasizing the need for contractual flexibility, active labor market policies and lifelong learning. The policy framework now consists of Common Principles, Employment Guidelines, components and typical pathways, agreed upon by the European Council but stressing the need to adapt to local circumstances and include the social partners. Within the new EES for 2020, and also within the EU’s response to the impact of the economic crisis on employment (the so-called Employment Package; European Commission 2012), flexicurity is maintained as the dominant policy framework, encompassing social dialogue, which is seen as a key condition for developing integrative and balanced reform packages.
