Industrial restructuring and EU-wide social measures: broader lessons of the ECSC experience

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the lessons from the experience of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) with regard to debates about managing the social consequences of industrial restructuring within the European Union (EU). In particular it looks at the implications for moves from sectoral to regional forms of intervention, and from short-term social palliatives to a long-term proactive approach. It suggests that these developments may produce new tensions and in some ways hamper attempts to address the social consequences of restructuring. It is pointed out that the need to address sectoral considerations continues implicitly to inform EU policy-making, not least - as the ECSC case illustrates - as a consequence of the social and political symbolism of sectoral readjustment. Keywords: CoalEuropean Coal And Steel CommunityEu Industrial PolicyEu Social PolicySteel