The long-term financing of social security faces considerable problems which give rise to the question whether wages can and should continue to serve as the only assessment basis for social security contributions. The calculation of, at least, the employers' contributions on a broader value...

It is again being argued that the low labour costs and social standards in countries on the periphery of the EC - Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain - jeopardise employment in the northern EC countries and the social safety net they have constructed. A common social policy harmonising...

The debate over the completion of the single European market is increasingly centering on its so-called social dimension. Does it make sense to streamline social security in the member states as a safety net against the adverse consequences of the single market?