Working Paper on the potential and limits for social policy in the current EU framework

For the purpose of examining alternative policy scenarios that support EU social citizenship, this Working Paper examines the limitations and potential of social policy in the existing EU legal framework. It has thus the objective of delineating the contours of what we understand as the social dimension of the EU. To this end, the Working Paper is divided in two parts. The first part analyses the social competences of the Union to depict the first limit of EU social policy: the powers of the Union. The second, building on the theory of power resources presented in an earlier Working Paper of EuSocialCit on the rationale for and the nature and content of European social rights, breaks down the power resources offered by the EU. While piecing together the puzzle of social policy in the EU is no easy task, the Working Paper shows that there are diverse power resources at the EU level that empower individuals through different means. These, however, come with their own set of limitations.