The open method of co-ordination: focussing on EU employment strategy

Abstract

The first five years of the EU employment strategy, which was based on the Amsterdam Treaty and endorsed by the Luxembourg Summit, have come to an end, and an evaluation of the strategy based upon the national action plans, and a supranational comparison of the impact has been carried out by the Commission. The questions which arise in relation to the strategy, are twofold namely whether or not the employment strategies in the member states have been influenced by the supranational strategy in any way, and whether the use of the open method of co-ordination has added anything to policy-making. The article will begin by briefly describing the enactment of the labour market strategy, and will continue by discussing if, and if so how, it is possible to measure the impact of an open method which is mainly based on peer pressure, best practice, and bench-marking. It then goes on to discuss, based upon recent experience, whether we are witnessing the open method of coordination (OMC) as being the first step towards policy convergence, as the Commission wish to see it, or whether it is merely a ball which will only be played when the national players wish. If it is not a ball, they will opt for the scapegoat approach as has been witnessed in the EMU discussion. On the basis of the national action plans, and the supranational evaluations of them, some preliminary ideas will be presented of how and if the OMC is giving a new impetus to convergence, or it implies on that road.