България в европейската социална политика: интеграция на практики, дезинтеграция на модели
Bulgaria in the European Social Policy: Convergence of Practices, Heterogeneity of Models

Summary/Abstract: This article’s aim is to assess the progress in social policy field made after the Bulgarian EU accession. Due to the European Social Policy’s peculiarities, this change - to a great degree – depends on internal factors and especially on the abilities of the Member-States to formulate specific goals and handle tools that are relevant to their own problems and to obtain favorable results. Based on strategic documents analysis, as well as on a comparison of social indicators, the thesis that the European Social Policy does not alternate the accession market model of social policy, set in early post-communist transition, is argued. This model generates a growing inequality -- before as well as after the social transfers. In the same time, during the decade of Bulgaria’s EU membership a favorable trend of poverty reduction is observed. However, it cannot compensate the country’s lagging behind the other Member-States in the social policy field. The needed stark progress ought to pass through a reformulation of the already adopted Social Policy model.

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