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.
International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations