LABOUR MARKET AND SOCIAL COHESION WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The issue of labour and social sustainability of the existing models is therefore gaining the interest among the representatives of the EU Member States as well as the Community institutions, which can be demonstrated by the objectives stated in the majority of the major strategic documents of the EU regarding the economic and social sphere. The reformed Lisbon Strategy in 2005 places the employment and job creation, in addition to economic growth, between the two main priorities for the period up to 2010. A new, 2020 strategy for Europe, which provides guidelines for the development of the EU's competitiveness in the next decade, includes the growth promoting integration (support for high employment and social cohesion) among three main priorities, too. The aim of this paper is to analyze the evolution of the labour market and social cohesion in the European Union in the context of ongoing globalization process and the impact of the global financial crisis.