Trends in European Integration in the Field of Social Policy

Abstract

This article traces the development of the European social policy from its minimalist role provided for in the Treaties of Rome, through the neoliberal orientation, especially in the financial crisis of 2008, to the trend towards a socio-investment perspective in response to the crisis caused by the Kovid19 pandemic. Current EU social policy applies a new approach that emphasizes the need to invest in education and training and the provision of quality social services throughout the life course of people - from early childhood to old age. It relies on the mutual enrichment of national and supranational forms of social protection.