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Can The European Welfare State Survive?
Third of five parts
One of the defining ideals of the European Union has been its social support system, often referred to as the European welfare state. The shared belief among EU nations that the state has a responsibility to care for its citizens has become a kind of common culture, unifying 27 different nationalities.
But the European welfare system — largely put in place during the high-growth years following World War II — is under economic and demographic pressure. And the recent debt crisis is shaking the foundations of the European Union's shared social vision.
Enlarge
Eleanor Beardsley/NPR
Anders Dalsager and Margit Larsen (shown here with their daughter, Astrid) are graduate students at the University of Copenhagen. They were able to have a child even though they don't have jobs, thanks to subsidies from the Danish government.
Anders Dalsager and Margit Larsen are graduate students at the University of Copenhagen. Like all Danish students, they study for free and receive a monthly stipend equivalent to about $900 per person from the government.
On a recent day, the married couple walked to pick up their 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Astrid, from the campus kindergarten.
Dalsager and Larsen say they were able to afford having a child, even though they don't yet have jobs, because the government also gives them a child care subsidy.
"As a regular student, you get five years of support, and then if you have a child, you get extra support from the government — 12 months if it's the mother and six months if it's the father," Dalsager says.
In Paris, 600 miles to the south, Marites David is also picking up a child from preschool. David immigrated to France from the Philippines 20 years ago. Today, she works as a nanny.
When David finally got her residency, it came with automatic coverage under France's extensive health care system. David says that has been a blessing because of her chronic asthma.
"Mostly every summer I have to go to the emergency room because I can't breathe in the summer. They look after you until you're OK. For me, everything is free — for medicine, doctors, hospital. It's nice to live here," she says.
'Element Of European Identity' In Crisis
More In The Series
From Stalwart To Skeptic, Germany Rethinks EU Role
July 13, 2010
A Fitful Dream: European Unity Shaken By New Woes
July 12, 2010
Under the European Union's generous social welfare system, the model and level of benefits vary from country to country. As a general rule, Europeans enjoy free health care, long-term unemployment support, liberal vacation time and solid maternity and child care benefits.
Dominique Moisi, a political analyst with the French Institute for International Relations, says "the European welfare system has been an important element of European identity."
"I would say [it is] one of the great comparative advantages of Europe, if not in economic terms, at least in social and human terms," he says.
Moisi says the welfare state has provided a buffer against the economic crisis, protecting Europeans from the kind of suffering Americans have gone through.
That may be true, says Nicolas Doze, a commentator on economics with a popular French business channel. But without major reforms, Doze says the European Union will not be able to maintain its vision of a kinder, gentler way of life....
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128485416
One of the defining ideals of the European Union has been its social support system, often referred to as the European welfare state. The shared belief among EU nations that the state has a responsibility to care for its citizens has become a kind of common culture, unifying 27 different nationalities.
But the European welfare system — largely put in place during the high-growth years following World War II — is under economic and demographic pressure. And the recent debt crisis is shaking the foundations of the European Union's shared social vision.
Enlarge
Eleanor Beardsley/NPR
Anders Dalsager and Margit Larsen (shown here with their daughter, Astrid) are graduate students at the University of Copenhagen. They were able to have a child even though they don't have jobs, thanks to subsidies from the Danish government.
Anders Dalsager and Margit Larsen are graduate students at the University of Copenhagen. Like all Danish students, they study for free and receive a monthly stipend equivalent to about $900 per person from the government.
On a recent day, the married couple walked to pick up their 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Astrid, from the campus kindergarten.
Dalsager and Larsen say they were able to afford having a child, even though they don't yet have jobs, because the government also gives them a child care subsidy.
"As a regular student, you get five years of support, and then if you have a child, you get extra support from the government — 12 months if it's the mother and six months if it's the father," Dalsager says.
In Paris, 600 miles to the south, Marites David is also picking up a child from preschool. David immigrated to France from the Philippines 20 years ago. Today, she works as a nanny.
When David finally got her residency, it came with automatic coverage under France's extensive health care system. David says that has been a blessing because of her chronic asthma.
"Mostly every summer I have to go to the emergency room because I can't breathe in the summer. They look after you until you're OK. For me, everything is free — for medicine, doctors, hospital. It's nice to live here," she says.
'Element Of European Identity' In Crisis
More In The Series
From Stalwart To Skeptic, Germany Rethinks EU Role
July 13, 2010
A Fitful Dream: European Unity Shaken By New Woes
July 12, 2010
Under the European Union's generous social welfare system, the model and level of benefits vary from country to country. As a general rule, Europeans enjoy free health care, long-term unemployment support, liberal vacation time and solid maternity and child care benefits.
Dominique Moisi, a political analyst with the French Institute for International Relations, says "the European welfare system has been an important element of European identity."
"I would say [it is] one of the great comparative advantages of Europe, if not in economic terms, at least in social and human terms," he says.
Moisi says the welfare state has provided a buffer against the economic crisis, protecting Europeans from the kind of suffering Americans have gone through.
That may be true, says Nicolas Doze, a commentator on economics with a popular French business channel. But without major reforms, Doze says the European Union will not be able to maintain its vision of a kinder, gentler way of life....
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128485416
No, nor should it. I believe in helping people who truly need it for a short period of time. I have seen here how people get on welfare and then cannot get off. Why should they? They get housing assistance, wic if they have children, free healthcare, child care, food stamps, and they can even go to school on the taxpayers dime. Just keep having kids and the government will keep on keeping on. I think welfare as we know it should and will disappear, it will have to. It is unsustainable at best. I say pay the unemployment benefits and cut welfare. The people on unemployment need to be able to pay their cobra benefits until another job opens up. Or they will join the ranks of welfare.
In one word: "No."
Well some countries in Europe are reducing these type of benefits for just that type of reason and I know it couldn't without very high taxes. When I visited France decades ago the tax on gas (to take one example) was what was then about $4. To see whether its worthwhile as a system its a cost/benefits analysis issue and in a recession that may not be in its favor.
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