Institutional changes and European social policies after the Treaty of Amsterdam

Abstract:

The third title in the series Studies in Social Policy, this book deals with the institutional changes which the Treaty of Amsterdam brings to the European structure and also with the provisions regarding social policy and employment which are contained in the new chapters of the treaty. Four of the five chapters focus on the social policy of the European Union and the European Community considering basic social rights, labour law and employment policies. Chapter five looks at the institutional changes which have occurred. The question of what place social policy occupies within the priorities of the European Union is examined from the perspective of the EMU and non-inflationary economic policies. Employment and wage costs clearly remain within the ambit of national competencies but the question is asked whether the focus of competition between Member States will shift to wage costs. The purpose of the book is to provide a scientifically founded insight for those policy-makers who are contemplating the future of Europe.

The chapters are: The European Union, employment, social policy and the law; Labour law and the European Union after the Amsterdam Treaty; Searching for a European employment strategic initiative; Fundamental rights in the EU; and The constitutional amendments made to the Treaty on European Union by the Treaty of Amsterdam. The book concludes with an index and several annexes including the consolidated version of the treaties establishing the European Union and the European Community, and the Presidency Conclusions of the Council Summit meetings at Amsterdam and Luxembourg regarding social policy and employment.