European Integration: A Restart of the Idea of "Social Europe"

The European Union continues to be affected by the financial and economic crisis. The measures taken by the EU to save its single currency, including structural reforms, have led to moderate growth, but in combination with many other factors, they have challenged the EU legitimacy and affected its social dimension. Throughout the course of European integration the construction of the EMU has always been closely and, at the same time, ambiguously linked to social development and the implementation of the idea of "Social Europe". The article considers the contradictions in the development of the social dimension of European integration and identifies ways to overcome the asymmetry between the market development and social progress. Looking into the dynamics of social rights harmonization in the EU, the authors identify several stages of activation of the idea of "Social Europe". On the basis of the analysis of initiatives of the Juncker Commission in the social sphere the authors conclude that the European social model is undergoing redesigning and the consequences of the crisis will only strengthen the need for more coordinated action in social policy at supranational level.