After some prefatory remarks on the recent change in the meaning of «reform», a term now also used by the free-trade right as a means of attacking social and labour protection, the author dwells on what he describes as the socio-anthropological component of social protection. It is thanks to this basis of resources and rights, gained over time, that the modern individual is formed as an effective member of a «society of fellow-men». Fundamentally for this reason, in the present trend towards a «society of individuals» there is greater need for social protection, not less. This in turn should be modified, linking new rights to what are now unignorable requirements of flexibility and mobility.only subscribers can see the full article