Summary The re-emergence of a majority of centre-left governments in countries of the Euro pean Union was associated with the hope that, after the neo-liberal attempts at its marginalization and de-institutionalization, social work could regain a more valued position in society. There are indeed indications that the growth of the profession continues and that social work is returning to a more explicit and official role in national social policies. However, this tends to be associated with an expectation that social work would play its part in 'activating' the recipients of welfare benefits in the context of the New Left project of shifting from social rights to social obligations. The practical and political effects of this new agenda are, however, modified greatly by the prevailing 'welfare cultures' as well as the professional and academic discourses. This paper explores the dilemmas and opportunities for the social professions in Europe associated with the 'pull' to become incorporated into these new social policy agendas. There is an increasing awareness among social work practitioners in all European countries that international comparisons of developments in welfare are not just a matter for social policy analysts, but are a matter of direct relevance to practice (Payne, 1998). Globalization is more than just a fashionable talking point relating to economic and cultural transformations affecting our lives, it manifests itself more and more in work practices in the social services. Whether the actual changes in welfare systems are directly linked to the mechanisms of economic globalization is a moot question, but there is no denying that policy trends, particularly those of the neo-liberal ilk, have traversed national boundaries with astonishing ease (Penna et al., 1999). The past decades have brought about decisive shifts in the orientation of welfare systems away from states playing (or at least aspiring to play) a prominent role in the provision or regulation of welfare services towards delegation, de