The Social Agenda of the European Union and the Modernisation of the European Social Model

Abstract:
This paper examines the social agenda and the role it plays in modernising the European social model. It analyses whether the principle that “social policy is a productive factor”, which was key to the Lisbon strategy launched in 2000 and its accompanying social policy agenda, remains the leitmotiv for change in the aftermath of the refocused Lisbon strategy and its new social agenda. The paper gives evidence that the social agenda is targeted at finding solutions to common problems and challenges in the EU and investigates how the available policy instruments can be better combined to successfully modernise the European
social model. Finally, it comments on the actions advanced in the social agenda and the specific challenges encountered by the new Member States.