The European Union appeared in 1993 as an association of the developed countries of Europe. This union has common legislation and the euro currency, has no borders within itself. Every citizen of an EU member state is also recognized as a citizen of the European Union. This automatically provides a person with a set of rights that complement national and social guarantees.

What social guarantees does an EU citizen get?

Compared to the CIS countries, the social package of the European Union is much wider. This is one of the reasons why people strive to move to Europe. Let’s consider in more detail.

  1. Education system. School education is free of charge, and most of the funding for universities is covered by the state budget. There are many scholarship programs and grants for EU citizens. The education itself is of high quality and is recognized all over the world.
  2. Social payments. The unemployed, the poor, families with many children, the disabled, single mothers and other categories of the population can receive significant financial support.
  3. Pensions and benefits. Retirement age starts at 60 y.o. The pension depends on many factors, but cannot be less than 500 euros per month. Pensioners are provided with discounts on housing rental, utility payments and more. There are also benefits for students and civil servants.
  4. Employment. It is easier for an EU citizen to get a job than for a migrant. In addition, a minimum wage has been set.
  5. Medical insurance. All EU citizens have obligative health insurance. Many companies also provide health insurance of private clinics for their employees.

The goals of EU social policy development

The European Union adheres to the policy of uniting the efforts of states in order to achieve the formation of a new Europe. Social policy pursues the goals of promoting employment of the population, ensuring social protection, and improving working conditions.

Who bands together all the systems of the EU countries?

Legal regulation is used to coordinate the social systems of all member states of the European Union. The supranational policy is carried out by the European Council, the Commission and the Court, the Parliament, as well as the Economic Committee, the Social Committee and specialized organizations: the European Employment Service, Structural Funds and others.

Due to the large flow of migrants, the situation for the European Union was complicated by the fact that, in addition to taking care of their population, states need to provide jobs and housing for newly arrived residents. Supranational institutions are trying to solve the problem of migrants, helping them to integrate into society.