The changing legal context of employment policy coordination: How do Social Policy Issues Fare after the Crisis?

Looking at the 2013 country-specifi c Recommendations, this article explores which legal instruments are used to coordinate employment and social policy items aft er the crisis. Th is includes instruments belonging to employment and social policy coordination, as well as to budgetary and economic governance cycles. Th e article answers the question whether the joint use of these instruments aff ect the Union’s employment and social policy goals. The analysis reveals that employment and social policy items frequently feature in budgetary and economic governance cycles, such as the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and the Macro-economic Imbalances Procedure. Examples of such topics are health care, pension schemes and wage development. Yet, the impact on the Union’s social goals shows a mixed picture, with certain Recommendations supporting social policies, while other Recommendations tending to address social issues from an economic perspective.