Η εφαρμογή της Ανοικτής Μεθόδου Συντονισμού (ΑΜΣ) στα πεδία της κοινωνικής προστασίας και της κοινωνικής ένταξης

Abstract

The present doctorate thesis examines the application of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) in the field of social protection and social inclusion (also known as Social OMC). The OMC is considered as a useful tool in the field of European Social Policy, as it uses the exchange of information, knowledge, experience and good practice among member states in order to promote national policy making. In this framework, the OMC evolved gradually after Lisbon (2000) in the individual fields of social inclusion, pensions and healthcare, where until the streamlining of the method (2006), the OMC was applied through three different procedures. In the first section of the present thesis, each application of the OMC is examined separately and a comparison among them is attempted in order to spot their similarities and differences. In the second section, it is examined how member states implement the OMC and which are the policy outcomes. For this purpose, the participation of Greece in the process of OMC is examined. At the same time, a short presentation of the cases of United Kingdom, Sweden, Portugal and Cyprus is attempted in order to show how these member states have used the OMC, compared to Greece. Through the implementation of the OMC, the weaknesses of its architecture and its legitimacy deficits are revealed. Finally, in the third section, the new institutional framework of the open co-ordination is presented, as it has been formed after 2006 and the streamlining of the social OMC. The aim is to show the results of the streamlining at present and to examine the future prospect of the streamlining, under the process of its continuation and enforcement. A basic conclusion of the thesis is that the operation of the OMC has different results for each member state which - due to its voluntary nature and the diversity of national protection systems - depend on the perception of national interests, the existence of real political will and the disposal of sufficient resources to the right directions. Moreover, the OMC as a policy making tool has institutional weaknesses (e.g. complexity, lack of synchronization among the various OMCs) and democratic legitimacy deficits (e.g. lack of participation of stakeholders, lack of transparency, lack of effectiveness). Although the institutional streamlining (2006) has reinforced the monitoring mechanism some of the technical disadvantages and the democratic legitimacy deficits still remain. In this framework, up to now, the basic achievement of the OMC process is the so called “ideational convergence” or “cognitive convergence” among member states, in other words the creation of common beliefs and perception as far as the common problems and their causes are concerned.