This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kay, A. Articles by Ackrill, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Financing social and cohesion policy in an enlarged EU: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose?

Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Robert Ackrill

Nottingham Trent University, UK, robert.ackrill{at}ntu.ac.uk

The development of the Open Method of Coordination, agreement on the Lisbon Agenda and EU enlargement offered the prospect of a new and substantial EU social policy agenda. This article considers EU social and cohesion policies in the context of the recent negotiation of the EU budget for 2007—13. We find the Commission's wish to redistribute EU spending in favour of these policy areas and new member states was thwarted by key political features of EU budget making: CAP spending levels which are downwardly sticky; institutional arrangements which provide for budget making as, at best, a zero-sum game; and the preferences of contributor member states in the EU-15 to contain overall spending while preserving their net budget positions. Questions are thus raised as to the ability of the EU to make any progress, from a budgetary perspective, on the social and cohesion policy agenda in an enlarged EU.

Key Words: budget constraints • EU enlargement • EU social and cohesion policies • financial perspectives

References

• Ackrill, R.W. (2000) `The European Union Budget, the Balanced Budget Rule and the Development of Common European Policies', Journal of Public Policy 20 (1): 1—19.[CrossRef]
• Ackrill, R.W. and Kay, A. (2006) `Historical Institutionalist Perspectives on the Development of the EU Budget System', Journal of European Public Policy 13 (1): 113—33.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Ashiagbor, D. (2004) `Soft Harmonisation: the `Open Method of Coordination' in the European Employment Strategy', European Public Law 10 (2): 305—32.
• Bellamy, R. (2006) `Still in Deficit: Rights, Regulation, and Democracy in the EU', European Law Journal 12 (6): 725—42.[CrossRef]
• Borrás, S. and Jacobsson, K. (2004) `The Open Method of Co-ordination and New Governance Patterns in the EU', Journal of European Public Policy 11 (2): 185—208.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Council of the European Union (2002) `Brussels European Council 24 and 25 October 2002, Presidency Conclusions ', Document 14702/02, POLGEN67, Brussels 26 November 2002. Accessed at: [http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/72968.pdf].
• Daly, M. (2006) `EU Social Policy after Lisbon', Journal of Common Market Studies 44 (3): 461—81.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Dekker, P., Ederveen, S., Jehoel-Gijsbers, G., de Mooij, A. and Wildeboer Schut, J.M. (2003) Social Europe. European Outlook 1: Annex to State of the European Union 2004. The Hague: CPB and SCP. Accessed at: [http://www.scp.nl/english/publications/books/9037701450/Social_Europe_European_outlook_1.pdf].
• Egan, M. and Wolf, D. (1999) `Regulatory Oversight in Europe: the Case of Comitology ', in C. Joerge and E. Vos (eds) EU Committees: Social Regulation, Law and Politics. Oxford: Hart Publishing.
• European Commission (2004a) ` Report of the High-level Group on the Future of Social Policy in an enlarged European Union', Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs. Accessed at: [http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/publications/2005/ke6104202_en.pdf].
• European Commission (2004b) ` Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament: Building Our Common Future — Policy Challenges and Budgetary Means of an Enlarged Union 2007—13', COM(2004)101 final, Brussels 10.2.2004. Accessed at: [http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2004/com2004_0101en02.pdf].
• European Commission (2004c) ` Proposal for a Council Regulation Laying down General Provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund ', COM(2004)492 final. Brussels 14.7.2004. Accessed at: [http://europa.eu/eur-lex/en/com/pdf/2004/com2004_0492en01.pdf].
• European Commission (2004d) ` Commission Working Document: Proposal for renewal of the Interinstitutional Agreement on Budgetary Discipline and Improvement of the Budgetary Procedure ', COM(2004)498 final. Brussels 14.7.2004. Accessed at: [http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2004/com2004_0498en01.pdf].
• European Commission (2005a) ` The European Social Fund 2000—06: Europe Investing in People'. Brussels: Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs. Accessed at: [http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/publications/2005/ke6505860_en.pdf].
• European Commission (2005b) ` The Social Agenda 2005—2010: a Social Europe in the Global Economy. Jobs and Opportunities for All. Brussels: Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs. Accessed at: [http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/publications/2005/ke6605062_en.pdf].
• European Commission (2005c) ` Allocation of 2004 EU Expenditure by Member State'. Brussels: Budget Directorate General. Accessed at: [http://ec.europa.eu/budget/library/documents/revenue_expenditure/agenda_2000/allocrep_2004_en.pdf].
• European Council (2000) Presidency Conclusions: Lisbon European Council 23 and 24 March 2000, SN100/00. Available at: [http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/00100-r1.en0.htm].
• European Parliament, Council, Commission ( 2006) `Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on Budgetary Discipline and Sound Financial Management', Official Journal of the European Union C139, 14.6.2006, 1—17. Accessed at: [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/c_139/c_13920060614en00010017.pdf].
• Follesdal, A. and Hix, S. (2006) `Why there is a Democratic Deficit in the EU: a Response to Majone and Moravcsik', Journal of Common Market Studies 44 (3): 533—62.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Hix, S. ( 1998) `The Study of the European Union II: The "New Governance" Agenda and Its Rival', Journal of European Public Policy 5 (1): 38—65.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Jepsen, M. and Serrano Pascual, A. (2005) `The European Social Model: an Exercise in Deconstruction', Journal of European Social Policy 15 (3): 231—45.[Abstract]
• Laffan, B. (2000) `The Big Budgetary Bargains: from Negotiation to Authority', Journal of European Public Policy 7 (5): 725—43.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Majone, G. (1994) `The Rise of the Regulatory State in Europe', West European Politics 17 (3): 77—101.
• Majone, G. (1996) Regulating Europe. London: Routledge.
• Majone, G. (1998) `Europe's "Democratic Deficit": the Question of Standards', European Law Journal 4 (1): 5—28.[CrossRef]
• Majone, G. (1999) `The Regulatory State and its Legitimacy Problems', West European Politics 22 (1): 1—24.
• Moran, M. (2002) `Review Article: Understanding the Regulatory State', British Journal of Political Science 32: 391—413.[Web of Science]
• Moravcsik, A. (1993) `Preferences and Power in the European Community: a Liberal Intergovernmentalist Approach', Journal of Common Market Studies 31 (4): 473—524.[Web of Science]
• Moravcsik, A. (1998) The Choice for Europe: Social Purpose and State Power from Messina to Maastricht. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
• Moravcsik, A. (2002) `In Defence of the "Democratic Deficit": Reassessing Legitimacy in the European Union', Journal of Common Market Studies 40 (4): 603—24.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• O'Connor, J.S. (2005) `Policy Coordination, Social Indicators and the Social-policy Agenda in the European Union', Journal of European Social Policy 15 (4): 345—61.[Abstract]
• Regent, S. (2003) `The Open Method of Coordination: a New Supranational Form of Governance?', European Law Journal 9 (2): 190—214.[CrossRef]
• Tondl, G. (2005) `European Union Regional Policy', in P. van der Hoek (ed.) Handbook of Public Administration and Policy in the European Union. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
• Trubek, D.M. and Trubek, L.G. (2005) `Hard and Soft Law in the Construction of Social Europe: the Role of the Open Method of Co-ordination', European Law Journal 11 (3): 343—64.[CrossRef]
• Tsarouhas, D. (2005) `European Integration and Path Dependence: Explaining the Evolution of EU Social Policy', European Political Economy Review 3 (2): 87—111.
• Wincott, D. (2003) `Beyond Social Regulation? New Instruments and/or a New Agenda for Social Policy at Lisbon?', Public Administration 81 (3): 533—53.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Wincott, D. (2006) `European Political Development, Regulatory Governance, and the European Social Model: the Challenge of Substantive Legitimacy', European Law Journal 12 (6): 743—63.[CrossRef]

Journal of European Social Policy, Vol. 17, No. 4, 361-374 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0958928707081067


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kay, A. Articles by Ackrill, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?