EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS IN THE AREA OF SOCIAL POLICY: TASKS AND SYSTEM AT THE PRESENT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT

The article investigates the current tasks and system of European Union’s institutions in the area of social policy. It is noted that the importance of enhancing social integration at the present stage of European Union development has been steadily increasing, since it is necessary to ensure a high level of employment and social protection, as well as a good education and quality of health, thus overcoming poverty and inequality. It has been established that the emergence of new threats to society, in particular such as international terrorism, uncontrolled and illegal migration, etc. are social in their nature. The aforementioned requires substantial changes in the European Union social policy in order not to collapse under the scope of undertaken obligations. The author identifies the crucial task of European Union and its Member-States, among which are: preservation of the achievements of past years, ensuring social rights and, at the same time, dynamic economic development in the present. Specifically, these tasks determine the European Union’s social agenda, and they can be resolved only with the appropriate coordination of the efforts between European Union institutions and its Member-States. To implement the tasks of the European Union social policy, an extensive system of institutions has been established. Basically, such institutions are divided into two major groups – those that are based on treaties and those that are established by secondary law. The first includes such institutions as the European Council, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice, the Economic and Social Committee. The second group includes supporting institutions, since they were founded for activities on specific social issues. These are agencies, committees and foundations that are accountable to the European Commission or the Council of the European Union. The distribution of powers in the social sphere between European Union institutions allows the author to conclude that at the present moment Union has sufficiently developed social infrastructure. The absence of a single body concerned with social issues at the pan- European level obliges all European Union institutions to deal with social issues, as well as participate in shaping a unified social space.