Solidarity and Conflict: European Social Law in Crisis

The ongoing austerity crisis is being felt in all sectors of EU law, but has had a particularly severe impact on labour law.

Silvana Sciarra, a leading judge and scholar of EU employment law, considers how solidarity regimes have been shaken by the crisis.

She brings together existing European policies in social and employment law to enhance synergies and developments in a post-crisis discourse.

She looks at reactions of national constitutional courts to austerity measures and of international organisations in re-establishing respect of fundamental workers' rights.

Criticising soft law approaches in employment policies, she favours recourse to binding measures connected with selective financial incentives through European funds.