The European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) has re-energised EU social policy and led to the adoption of a new generation of binding social directives. However, whether these initiatives deliver on their social ambitions remains an open question.

This lecture examines the political and legal dynamics shaping the effectiveness of Social Europe by focusing on the Pillar as resulting from two key stages of EU policy-making: EU-level negotiations of binding law and subsequent national implementation. Bringing together recent research, it asks whether and how policy design, political contestation and implementation practices condition the realisation of EU social rights.

Empirically, the lecture will draw on Martinsen’s recent research on the development of EU social policy-making, which finds that contemporary Social Europe is increasingly politicised both at the EU level as well as during national implementation, with important consequences for the scope, clarity and effectiveness of EU social rights.