Considers the extent to which the EU has impacted on the formation and content of social and environmental policy in the member states, focusing on the four larger members: Germany, France, Italy and the UK.

1 Introduction: the European Union, state autonomy and national social policy 2 Understanding regulatory growth in the European Community 3 Defending the social contract: the EU between global constraints and domestic imperatives 4 The impact of the European Union on unemployment and unemployment policy 5 Social dumping within the EU 6 Putting the cart before the horse? Labour market challenges ahead of monetary union in Europe 7 Social partnership at the EU level: initiatives, problems and implications for member states 8 The European Union and women’s rights: from the Europeanisation of national agendas to the nationalisation of a European agenda? 9 Training policy: steering between divergent national logics 10 EC action and initiatives in environmental protection 11 Conclusion: the European Union, member states and social policy