Resumo

CAETANO, José; GALEGO, Aurora  e  COSTA, Sofia. Portugal and the enlargement of the European Union: aspects of the social and economic impact . Anál. Social [online]. 2005, n.175, pp.255-278. ISSN 0003-2573.

This article looks at the possible social consequences arising for Portugal as a result of the recent enlargement of the European Union. Starting out from the assumption that stronger integration and competition will require profound social and economic adjustments which will affect choice of business location, trade, financial and technology flows in the whole of Europe, we believe that the sectoral and regional impact will be different. On the basis of this assumption, we deal specifically with issues relating to the labour market, such as unemployment, poverty and inequality, and with aspects of related labour and social policies. From our analysis of the labour market and social policies in Portugal we are convinced that there will be major vulnerabilities in the social sphere, not so much as a result of enlargement, but on account of the structural weaknesses of the labour market, recent trends in poverty and exclusion situations and restrictions on the use of fiscal and budgetary policy in dealing with the social costs involved in the process of readjustment.

Palavras-chave : Alargamento da União Europeia; Mercado de trabalho; União Europeia; Políticas sociais; Portugal.

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