An unimpressive economic year followed by a dark year for social policy in the European Union: these are, in a nutshell, the forecasts for 2009-2012 presented by Commissioner Almunia on January 19.

The full scale of the financial crisis's impact on economic activity and, above all, on the living and working conditions of Europeans, is gradually taking centre stage. Since the famous G20 meeting, governments around the world seem to be competing for the adoption of plans and measures that John Maynard Keynes would not disown. Some European leaders will rightly appreciate the buffer effect provided by the social protection systems inherited from the post-war welfare states.

This abrupt shift could be seen as the reappearance - frequently announced but constantly postponed - of social concerns in thinking on the revival of European integration. However, recent developments call for special vigilance and consideration, whether related to the work programme of the Czech Presidency - in which the expression "social protection abuse"� is not merely the result of a an incorrect translation - or with the informal meeting of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers in Luhaèovice, where the enthusiastic promotion of labour mobility shows an unfortunate lack of tact and political sense in the light of the thousands of employees recently laid off.

The social issue will certainly be at the heart of public opinion in this European election year. The coming months' upheavals will be a test of the recommendations on "flexicurity"� adopted in unanimity last year by Ministers and the social partners. The renewed social agenda, approved last summer, will have to prove its viability and its capacity to create a new dynamic when Tome III of the Lisbon Strategy is written. Finally, in the face of crisis, Europe will have to find a way to make its action in the social field more effective. As pointed out by Sébastien Guigner in his study, « Health: A vital challenge for Europe », it is by fully exploiting the added value of community action that Europe will be able to provide an effective answer to citizens' social needs.