For a new European social contract

Let there be no doubt about it – Tony Blair is blessed with a finely tuned political brain. The fact that the British Prime Minister has deemed it necessary to arrange a ‘summit’ at the end of October specially dedicated to the European social model should therefore be seen as highly significant. This initiative forms part of a reaction to the French and Dutch ‘no’ votes on the draft Constitutional Treaty. The French rejection was seen by many analysts as the expression of a fear shared by many throughout the Union; the fear that social rights in Europe – bludgeoned by globalisation – are being systematically scaled back. Yet what exactly does the debate consist of? When talks are held at the highest levels regarding the European social model and its future, the debate must be placed precisely in its historical and political context. This is what this study, drawn up by Marjorie Jouen and Catherine Palpant, succeeds in doing with great clarity. Yes, there is a social reality in the European project; yes, it has been trampled underfoot for a number of years by the combined effects of neo-liberal rhetoric and the enlargements; and yes, it is struggling to address the new needs of Europe’s citizens.

Yet there is more to the story than that, because if solidarity, and by extension cohesion, is weakened in the Union, then the very European project itself is ultimately under threat. We are therefore charged with redrawing the outlines of the contract that binds the Member States on social issues. The most positive aspect of this study is, without doubt, not only the fact that it states this point forcefully, but that it also suggests ways of building it.