Integrating social policy in a multi-tiered system: The case of the European Union

A description of the European Union (EU) with usual theories is not possible anymore. Thus, the multi-tiered system approach is used to comprehend the European political structure properly. The focus of this paper lies on social policy in the EU. My thesis is that we cannot simply state that the European integration yields social deterioration. Rather, developments and outcomes regarding European social policy are shaped by this multi-tiered structure and in this context depend on the specific institutional circumstances of the topic being negotiated. As a result, we can record that there is amazing progress in social-regulative policy, but no traditional social policy. In this respect, the main actors on the EU-level are the European Court of Justice and the European Commission.