The Europeanization of Solidarity: Between Global Markets, National Institutions and European Regulations

The internal market, the monetary union and the fifth EU enlargement have a considerable influence on the living conditions of the European population and require a coordinated modernization of national employment and welfare policies. It is shown that the Europeanization of solidarity and social inequalities will occur in a hybrid form combining national, European and global forces transforming the EU in a particular global space. This space is characterized by liberalized markets, strong national redistributive policies, and the legal harmonization of national systems of social security, limited supranational transfer payments and open forms of coordination.