The European Union Review 

Un modèle de gouvernance européen favorable à l’apparition d’une politique sociale diversifiée et coordonnée

Pierre Maillet - Université de Lille I, France

Progress towards European integration has been much weaker in the social than in the economic field. This gap is explained partly by the lack of a generally accepted and theoretical corpus justifying progress on the issue. Each member State’s social policy reflects its own society and, in spite of the acknowledged existence of a ‘European social model’, there are considerable discrepancies. There is a great desire for the preservation of social and cultural differences, a need that must be respected. However, the desired progress towards true European unity requires a degree of reconciliation - specifically, strong compatibility between the small number of common factors, including compatibility between domestic factors influencing social policies. Reorganisation of the European decision-making process on the matter is now proposed, centred on the establishment of European groups or networks including the creation of a European Society Consultancy Committee.