6    The European Social Model

From welfare state to learning society and beyond

The European Social Model (ESM), the EU's projection of its values, norms and core social policy concerns, links many of the themes developed in the earlier part of this book with questions concerning the relationship between European Union integration and the processes of Europeanization. The idea of the European Social Model, a much contested term it should be said at the outset, resonates with debates on the fundamental values, shared history, and political identity to which Europe can lay claim. EU concern with its social model can be interpreted as an attempt to come to terms with the difficulty of establishing a true social dimension to the post-Maastricht ...

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