In 2022, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on European Union in Maastricht on 7 February 1992 – by twelve countries at that time. The Maastricht Treaty paved the way to the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and included a chapter on social policy as a protocol between just eleven countries.
1992 was an important year in the European integration process: major steps had to be taken to completing the ’internal market’. However, efforts being made towards this goal were causing growing concern about the creation of a ’Social Europe’, which is developing at a slower pace in several respects. Realisation of the EMU and convergence were putting new constraints on the national social protection systems.
In 1992, based on research for the European Commission, we organised a conference on behalf of the EZA on the EMU and social protection, featuring a number of outstanding experts on economics and social protection. The European Centre for Workers’ Questions (Europäisches Zentrum für Arbeitnehmerfragen, EZA) commissioned us to set up a network of research institutes in order to study the extent to which ’Social Europe’ was succeeding – or failing – to emerge. The EZA initiated a project that looked into ’The State of the Welfare State Anno 1992’.
The first conference with this group of researchers on ’The state of the welfare state in 1992’ was held in 1995. Twelve research groups gave similarly formatted descriptions of the condition of the welfare state around 1992, the point in time of new momentum for further integration in the EU. The intention was to gauge the description of the welfare state and economy at that moment, and to meet again some five years later to see how the welfare state had changed under the influence of this increased integration. Since then, the conference has been held every five years, in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and finally (because of Covid-19) in 20211. There have been altogether six conferences in a quarter of a century, largely covering the 30 years since signing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. The conference has therefore always been called ’The State of the Welfare State Anno 1992’ (and beyond).
The present report covers the results of the 2021 conference. This conference builds on the contribution of a community of dedicated researchers in the Member States, some of whom were present from the very beginning. The comparative information has been updated and renewed by Frederic de Wispelaere and Lynn De Smedt, my fellow researchers at HIVA. We thank all those colleagues for their contribution to the project.