Recoge: 1. The challenges and opportunities of globalisation and change - 2. An integrated flexicurity approach - 3. Flexicurity policies - 4. Flexicurity and social dialogue - 5. Developing common principles of flexicurity - 6. Flexicurity pathways - 7. The financial dimension of flexicurity - 8. Next steps: flexicurity and the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs - 9. Annex.

Contains analysis of, critical remarks on, and constructive suggestions to Towards common principles of Flexicurity of the European Commission (2007).

An integrated fl exicurity approach The rationale for an integrated fl exicurity approach is the need to achieve the objectives of the renewed Lisbon Strategy8, in particular more and better jobs, and at the same time to modernise the European social models. [...] The economic up- swing, with economic growth at a 6 year high and 7 mil- lion new jobs being created between 2005 and 2008, is an opportunity for the Union and the Member States: now is the time to redouble efforts and undertake the reforms needed to fulfi l the Union's commitments to growth and jobs, and to economic and social cohesion. [...] Flexicurity pathways The implementation of the common principles of fl exi- curity in the Member States requires the establishment of carefully planned and negotiated combinations and sequences of policies and measures. [...] Financing fl exicurity policies: the Community contribution The Community Guidelines for Cohesion and those for Rural Development highlight the contribution of Cohe- sion Policy and Rural Development to the strategic objec- tives of the Union, and in particular to the Lisbon Strategy. [...] Given the role of social dialogue in the establishment and implementation of successful fl exicurity strategies, the Commission invites the European social partners to engage in a dialogue at Community level, on the ba- sis of the common principles of fl exicurity approved by the European Council.

Essay from the year 2009 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 1,3, Berlin School of Economics and Law, language: English, abstract: Nowadays, living and working conditions of EU citizens alter in a very fast pace due to globalization, accelerated technological progress and demographic change. Therefore,challenges European economies have to cope with are for example: - Increasing international trade and thus worldwide economic integration,- An expansion on global reserves of workforce, - An adjustment of labour division between industrialized and emerging markets and - A successive significance of human capital in course of a community of knowledge. On the one hand, to remain competitive this change1 means that firms within EU countries have to establish new markets while the requirements on mastering production processes and forms of organization increase. As far as employees are concerned, they have to be willed and capable to tune in to those labour market changes. Thus, life long learning and mobility become the very basics of success. In the same time higher pressure on wages and employment of low level qualified people can be seen in course of ongoing processes in job specialization. On the other hand, there has been an establishment of awareness within Europe of a common social model which carries the characteristics of: - Social cohesion, solidarity and the abatement of social poverty and discrimination, - Securing general access to a health and education system as well as broad social covering and - A significant role of the public sector to provide the necessary infrastructure. This shows that social security within the European society is strongly anchored which forms a certain constant in the approach of new reforms. Hence, flexicurity as an essence of the adaptability pillar of the EES has the task to strike the balance of a more flexible labour market to preserve European competitiveness with security of the social model. To achieve the objective of the Lisbon Strategy of full employment, enhancing quality and productivity at work as well as to underpin social and territorial cohesion flexibility and security are absolute mutually supportive. That is, to remain competitive only a dynamic, innovation oriented and business friendly economy provides those necessary resources that enable also the maintenance of social governmental structures.

'Converging Europe' evaluates the impact of European integration on social policy development since the launch and re-launch of the Lisbon strategy discussing the challenges posed by the still unfolding global economic crisis of 2007-2009. Given the unsettling economic conditions, does European coordination of social policies generate more social cohesion and integration or growing xenophobia, nationalism and exclusion? Informed by diverse theoretical perspectives, this book brings together a team of international experts working on an extensive range of policy issues central to the Lisbon agenda such as labour market policies, social protection systems, and social exclusion/poverty. Contributions assess the interfaces between European integration, the Lisbon strategy and social policy in three groups of countries related to the EU: old member states; the new member states; and a candidate country - Turkey. The richness of content and data allows rigorous analysis and critical comparative insights not only on the social outcomes of the Lisbon strategy but also more broadly on the dynamics and dimensions of European social policy. Pioneering the scholarly reflections on the repercussions of the global economic crisis of 2007-2009 for both the road map drawn at Lisbon and viability of national systems of social provision in Europe, this book is an important acquisition for policy makers and academics alike.