Social Policy in the European Union: a common welfare?

Abstract

The unfolding of structures of governance at a supranational European level is taking place through interactions between the 27 members of the European Union. These interactions mainly affect actors and policy networks whose operations have traditionally been confined to national arenas. As a political framework, the European Union is a compound of policy processes, and Europeanisation implies that national, regional and local policies are to be shaped by considerations beyond the mere centrality of the member states. However, multi-level governance in Europe is often criticised as it is not centralised and vertically hierarchical.