Assessing Flexicurity Policy - Case Study for Romania

Abstract

In recent years, European countries have faced a number of challenges like, for example, the technological change, the acceleration of globalisation, the considerable ageing of European societies. In this context, a more flexible labour market combined with satisfactory levels of security is necessary to meet the needs of both employers and employees. “Flexicurity” could be the right solution. Flexicurity has to be seen as an integrated strategy that employs political choices between various aspects of flexibility and security. An optimal balance between the two dimensions differs a lot between countries and each country has to choose its best combination. In Romania, the concept of flexicurity was included for the first time in the National Reforms Programme - Lisbon Strategy 2006. In our paper we have calculated the index of EPL strictness using the provisions at the date the new Labour Code came into force and after the successive amendments of the law. Also we have tried to analyse all four of the policy components - flexibility of the labour law, lifelong learning policies, active labour market policies and social security system - in an integrated manner.