从开放协调到经济治理:嬗变中的欧洲福利国家和社会政策一体化过程分析

From Open Method of Coordination to Economic Governance:An Analysis of Welfare States and Social Policy in the Context of Europeanisation

与经济一体化所取得的成就相比,欧洲福利国家和社会政策的融合一直是欧洲一体化进程中的一块短板。其原因不仅在于欧洲一体化一直以财经融合为重心,各成员国之间福利国家制度的差异也在相当程度上阻碍了社会政策在欧洲层面的协调和融合。因此社会政策和福利国家改革的"欧洲化"一直以来都是欧洲经济整合后的下一个艰巨任务。本文分析自20世纪90年代开始,尤其是马斯特里赫特条约以来,欧盟开始通过"开放协调法"等治理创新来试图推动本属于成员国专属管辖领域的社会政策融合与福利国家制度改革。在全球经济危机和欧洲债务危机的阴影下,未取得实质成效的开放协调法逐渐被严格的财政紧缩政策所取代,经济治理已然成为了协调欧洲社会政策主导话语。

In contrast to the great achievement of European economic integration, Europeanisation in social policy and welfare states has been under - developed as economic integration always has the upper hand over other issues and existing national regimes in different member states imposed institu - tional constraints on possible integration. This paper reviews the inception and development of the ＂Open Method of Coordination＂ adopted since the Lisbon Strategy. In an effort to coordinate social and welfare issues which are historically defined as national competency, European union tries to develop a new means to integrate the reform of social and welfare issues at European level. However,the advent of global economic crisis and European sovereign debt crisis made this ＂ soft approach＂ less creditable. As a result, financial austerity brought about by the economic governance becomes dominant in the welfare states reform agenda.