The paper gives an overview of the stages which have led to enlargement and illustrates the relative conditions and prospects. It then goes on to examine the compatibility and harmonisation of welfare policies and of the social rights of European workers. All countries in Central and Eastern European countries have social security systems with common features stemming from the pre-communist era. With the «fall of the wall» a reform process was initiated especially of the pension systems spurred by fiscal reasons and negative demographic trends. The outlines examine the organisation and structure of the social protection system, funding sources and services rendered. The information has been taken from the Missceec II document of January 1 2002 drawn up by the European Institute of Social Security. only subscribers can see the full article

The countries that are about to come into the EU have adopted a transition model that gives much importance to measures for the reduction of social costs of transition, attributing a central role to redistribution policies. These States have transformed their economies, creating considerable unemployment but at the same time limiting inequalities. Income gaps have thus increased following the transition to a market economy but there have not been explosive repercussions as was the case in the ex-Soviet Republics. These redistribution policies have undoubtedly encouraged structural reforms allowing the entry of these countries into the EU but at the same time, they have caused fiscal imbalances. The correction of such imbalances is one of the more the most complex problems that the new member countries will have to face in a context of EU fiscal regulations which have been conceived for countries at much higher levels of development.only subscribers can see the full article

Poverty in post communist countries of Eastern Europe is the result not only of the transition to a market economy but also the rise to power of a new incapable and corrupt ruling class, the political priorities of governments and incoherent social policy measures. The most evident consequences of this transformation is a growth in poverty and income disparity. In fact there are great national and sub-regional differences. The situation is particularly critical in the Community of Independent States and in the south-eastern European countries, whereas it is less so in Central-Eastern Europe. Measures to reduce poverty have turned out to be inefficient and ineffective even if tailored to a definite target and means tested. Most reforms on welfare have been concentrated on pensions. With impending EU enlargement, increasingly greater influence must be yielded by the European social model or the strategy proposed by the World Bank. The central point seems to pivot on the matter of what political, social, institutional subject can initiate a broader reform of the welfare state.only subscribers can see the full article

In 2004 the European Union makes a decisive step towards the new Eastern frontier which opens up a new phase destined to radically change the political and economic geography of the European Union. However, great difficulties and risks lie in wake. The failure of the intergovernmental conference leaving problems of institutional reorganisation unsolved has been an alarming signal. Furthermore, 2003 brought to the fore political divisions which spit the old and new Union making the enlargement scenario highly volatile. With the aperture of the new Eastern frontier the scenario becomes more complex not helped by the failure to give Europe a more effective and credible institutional setting. But, without a constitution adopted by those who want to participate in the construction of a Europe which merits this name, the new Eastern frontier risks opening up the way to a bigger but more unruly area in which more or less provisional and contrasting alliances will be permitted. only subscribers can see the full article

After the fall of the socialist regime, the countries which were part of the block have had to construct institutions and create activities that didn’t exist before: this paper examines the ways in which the new welfare model is emerging in Hungary and its main features. It analyses the Hungarian social model in the light of social policy strategies pursued to confront the problems inherited from the past and those that have emerged following the process of transformation and the considerable involvement of society in the creation and management of services.only subscribers can see the full article

This paper examines what differences will emerge in the European asset from the entry of 8 new member states from Eastern Europe. It also attempts to identify and assess the implications of the growing differentiation between states on the European integration process. The map of unity and diversity in the enlarged EU is extremely complex which doesn’t correspond simply to the old East-West divide. Furthermore, it is easy to find flaws in the various theories on the significance of diversity in the process of European integration. Not all types of inequality are necessarily damaging on the way (strife?) towards complete harmonisation, given that various types of multiplicity already exists in the 15-member union. Diversity can have positive or negative connotations according to context and objectives: a more diversified union can resemble a neo-medieval empire rather than a neo-Westphalian state but this doesn't necessarily mean the demise of European integration.only subscribers can see the full article