European flexicurity and globalization: a critical perspective

This paper places the European agenda of ‘flexicurity’ in a broader context. It explains how flexicurity connects to fundamental and historical characteristics of European Union labour market organization. It shows how flexicurity and the European Employment Strategy (EES) manifest a fundamental shift from EU law to EU policy. It explores the connection between flexicurity and the European Union’s agenda vis-à-vis globalization, particularly in light of the Lisbon Strategy. A broad and critical overview is given of the European Globalization Adjustment Fund (EGAF), the EU’s own and pioneering flexicurity tool in facing the labour market challenges of globalization.