The Return of Social Europe?

Negotiating and Implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights

The European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) has re-energised EU social policy and led to the adoption of a new generation of binding social directives. However, whether these initiatives deliver on their social ambitions remains an open question.

This lecture examines the political and legal dynamics shaping the effectiveness of Social Europe by focusing on the Pillar as resulting from two key stages of EU policy-making: EU-level negotiations of binding law and subsequent national implementation. 

Bringing together recent
research, it asks whether and how policy design, political contestation and implementation practices condition the realisation of EU social rights.

Dorte Sindbjerg Martinsen is Professor of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen. Moreover, she is the co-editor of West European Politics. Her research focuses on EU law and politics and the implementation and enforcement of EU policies, with an empirical focus on EU social and health policies.

Lecture as part of the Max Planck Hub Fiscal and Social State series.