The Social Security Systems Of The Member States Of The European Union

This book gives an introduction to the social security systems of the fifteen member states of the European Union.

"The European Union is on the threshold of an important institutional transformation, as thirteen states are applying for membership: ten of them, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, will become a member by May 1st, 2004; two countries, Bulgaria and Romania, will follow some time later and Turkey is also given the perspective of accession in a later stage. Fears are often expressed as to the social impact the adhesion of these states may have upon both the European Union's social security policy and the social security systems of these states. We give a presentation of the social security systems of the applicant states in the same format as the one we used for our earlier descriptions of the national social security systems of the present fifteen member states (Nr. 1 of this Social Europe Series). This publication gives the reader an introduction into the social security systems of the thirteen applicant states. It offers the social security expert with some comparative experience the opportunity to position his/her knowledge of (aspects of) foreign social security systems within the broad national context of these systems; for others, this introduction will simplify first ventures into the field of comparative social security law. The publication also facilitates the broad comparison of the national systems, by describing them according to a uniform structure. For each country, the following aspects are examined: the concept and sources of social security law; the administrative organisation; the personal scope of application; the social risks and benefits (subdivided into old age, survivorship, incapacity for work, unemployment, health care and care, family and need); the way in which social security is financed and the judicial protection. By giving a systematised and short overview of all systems in the European Union, the book finally meets a need of many in and outside Europe."--cover.

The aim of this book is to examine how EU law relates to and impacts on the national social security systems of the Member States. It asks three key questions. Firstly, it looks at how the internal market and its developments have eroded Member States' sovereignty over their social security systems, despite the fact that the EU has limited competence in the field. It then explores, secondly, how the Union Citizenship and, thirdly, the Charter of Fundamental Rights has affected the coordination of these regimes.

The Research Handbook on European Social Security Law critically examines the various European dimensions of social security. The collection discusses a wide range of questions and dilemmas ensuing from the present state of European social security law, whilst at the same time identifying future lines of inquiry that are likely to dominate the discourse in the coming years. This Handbook encompasses numerous dimensions of European social security law, including: social security as a human right; standard setting in social security; the protection of mobile persons and migrants; as well as the global context of European social security law. It pays attention to both EU law and to various instruments of the Council of Europe. Throughout the book's chapters prominent experts analyse contemporary debates, discuss new challenges and point out further lines of research. Via this exploration, the Handbook provides a source of inspiration for the development of this special field of law. Covering a breadth of topic and research, scholars and practitioners alike will find this Research Handbook to be an invaluable source of information.

In addition to long-term demographic trends, European social security systems face new challenges as a result of increased global competition and an international banking system focused on short-term financial gain. This report therefore explores new ways for European policy makers and institutions to make social security systems more sustainable. It investigates ways to achieve short and long-term financial viability. It also identifies key mechanisms that work to achieve social cohesion, such as greater emphasis on social rights and social dialogue. It then examines the main policy issues in sustaining major individual social security programmes, such as health care, social assistance and family benefits, pensions, unemployment and work incapacity benefits, as well as long-term care.

This work examines the system of co-ordination of national social security laws in the European Union from a gender perspective. The central question that it raises concerns the level of social security protection enjoyed by women moving throughout the Union in cases of work interruption or marriage dissolution. Women's social security protection has traditionally been based on two criteria, namely economic activity and family/marriage. Work interruptions, in particular for child-rearing, challenge the invocation of economic activity as an effective basis for social security rights. Changing social and family conditions, including the emergence of atypical relationships and increasing divorce rates, challenge the criterion of family/marriage. Efforts have been made within the framework of the national systems of the Member States to address these challenges, often unsuccessfully. So, how successful has the European system of co-ordination, the aim of which is to provide a sufficient level of protection to migrant workers and their families, been in addressing these challenges? The book contains comprehensive discussion of the phenomenon and legal institution of social security, as well as a thorough analysis of the current state of European Community law concerning co-ordination, with a particular focus on gender. It identifies several problematic areas where solutions must be worked out and action taken. The book fills a gap in the legal literature on the social security field and will appeal to those with an interest in social security, including academics, policy-makers and practitioners.

This book contributes to the growing amount of literature that is concerned with the relationship between globalisation and social security. The aim of this work is, first, to clarify the impact of the globalisation process on social security systems and, second, to formulate substantive and technical proposals for the adaptation of existing social security schemes to an altered socio-economic context and for the elaboration of international legal instruments aimed at an effective substantive and procedural protection of social security as a fundamental right.The report is divided into three parts. The first part is concerned with the social impact of globalisation and its consequences for social security systems in the high-income economies. The first article of this section considers the nature of globalisation as well as its social impact. It spells out some fundamental challenges facing social security systems. The following article elaborates further on one specific challenge, that is: the need for social security to adapt to the increased territorial mobility of workers.The second part looks at the effects of globalisation on social security in relation to middle- and low-income countries and examines the extent to which existing arrangements in these countries are able to provide adequate income protection to me majority of the population. For the group of middle-income countries, the relevance of globalisation for the privatisation of pension systems is analysed as well as the consequences with respect to their main social functions, i.e. the provision of old-age income security and income redistribution. This is done so through a comparative analysis of Latin American countries that have implemented pension policy reform. The following two articles consider the experience of social security systems in low-income countries. In the first article the impact and challenges of globalisation for existing formal and informal social security arrangements in low-income countries are explored and options are suggested for alternative approaches to social security provision that are better suited to the circumstances of low-income countries. The arguments have been illustrated with evidence from Cote d'Ivoire, a country with a socio-economic situation and social security framework that is typical for the majority of low-income countries. The second article discusses in greater depth the link between informal economic and social security in Sub-Saharan Africa.Finally, the third part calls for a global approach to social security. To this end, the first article in this section outlines a possible strategy for a generalised social protection at the global level based on the human damage theory while the last chapter of this work is concerned with the international legal instruments most appropriate for a better substantive and procedural protection of social security as a basic human right.