Ein soziales und demokratisches Europa? Hindernisse und Handlungsperspektiven

Building on the concept of social democracy, this article suggests using it as a blueprint to fundamentally change the course of the European integration process. It addresses the question of how European integration can be put at the service of social democracy. The starting point is that the institutional architecture of the European multi-level system creates a systematic imbalance between liberalisation and social regulation. Following from this, three policy fields are identified that are of central importance for the realisation of a social and democratic Europe: an “open” constitution for Europe, social minimum standards and the recuperation of the fiscal capacities of the political system.