Introduction

Abstract

Lisbon has always been something of a hybrid: both a process bringing forth new forms of governance (including in its capacity of setting new priorities) and a strategy identifying and ranking priorities by interlinking different policies. Lisbon can also be regarded as a product of the 'Third Way' and the new socialism or, alternatively, as a hidden offshoot of a liberal approach. It can be viewed as an amalgamation of numerous sectoral policies (monetary, internal market, innovation, social, education, etc) or else as a source of tension between economic and social policy. In short, Lisbon is an amorphous political phenomenon which is interpreted differently depending on the interpreter's expectations and even on his/her basic discipline (law, economics, sociology, political science). It will not be possible for us to analyse all of these dimensions here; we shall concentrate on what we regard as the most critical points.This introduction is divided into three sections.The first is a overview of the content and evolution of Lisbon.The second compares the Lisbon strategy with the traditional Community approach, enabling us to highlight the specific, original features of the Lisbon process. This is of course a complex and contradictory process, and what we shall try to do is home in on its principal characteristics, even if that means overlooking certain ambiguities. By so doing, we shall also be in a better position to understand the role of the players involved in both approaches, as well as the (very broad) social policy areas concerned.The third section focuses more closely on the European Employment Strategy (EES), primarily its quantitative and qualitative aspects. A lack of space prevents us from examining other areas of social policy (inclusion/poverty, pensions, health care).