Hard and Soft Law in the Construction of Social Europe: the Role of the Open Method of Coordination

The debate over the Open Method of Co-ordination has reopened discussion of the role of 'soft law' in the process of European integration. This paper outlines the debate over the relative value of hard and soft law in EU social policy, explores the operation of non-binding objectives and g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European law journal : review of European law in context 2005-05, Vol.11 (3), p.343
Main Authors: Trubek, David M, Trubek, Louise G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coordination
Integration
Law
Social policy
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Summary:The debate over the Open Method of Co-ordination has reopened discussion of the role of 'soft law' in the process of European integration. This paper outlines the debate over the relative value of hard and soft law in EU social policy, explores the operation of non-binding objectives and guidelines in the European Employment Strategy, suggests a number of reasons why 'soft law' might be effective in this area, and explores the possibility for productive combination of hard and soft law measures. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1351-5993
1468-0386