Is There a Need for a Fourth EU Pillar?

Examines the success of the 2001 Swedish Presidency of the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers in the area of employment & social policy cooperation. A tension is revealed between the Swedish presidency's goals of deepening the EU in terms of creating new areas of cooperation & act...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cooperation and conflict Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 199 - 205
Main Author: EKENGREN, MAGNUS
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London SAGE Publications 01.06.2002
Subjects:
Council of Ministers
Councils
Employment policy
Europe
European Union
European Union institutions
Institutional reform
Leadership
Policy Implementation
Political Development
Presidency
Sweden
SYMPOSIUM ON THE SWEDISH 2001 EU COUNCIL PRESIDENCY
ISSN:0010-8367, 1460-3691
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Examines the success of the 2001 Swedish Presidency of the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers in the area of employment & social policy cooperation. A tension is revealed between the Swedish presidency's goals of deepening the EU in terms of creating new areas of cooperation & actually implementing institutional adaptation to such changes via an "open method of coordination" (OMC). To the goals expressed by the 2000 European Council in Lisbon, Portugal, the Swedes added four new foci: demographic challenges, biotechnology, sustainable development, & environmentally propelled growth. Timetables were established for discussing pensions, health care, & elder care, as well as services for the disabled & children. New employment objectives were set, & standards for evaluating quality of work created. The goal of setting deadlines for the deregulation of the energy (gas & electricity) market was less successful. Several problems with the OMC are identified, highlighting relations between the EU & its institutions & member states. Dimensions of the current balance of power between three pillars -- the EU, the Council, & the European Commission -- are described, & possibilities for the creation of a "fourth pillar" to further elaborate pragmatic sector-specific coordination -- "active subsidiarity" -- are explored. 8 References. K. Hyatt Stewart
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ISSN:0010-8367
1460-3691
DOI:10.1177/0010836702037002981