The social policy of European countries has been improving for a long time and has undergone significant changes. Now in European states there is a complex system of social support for citizens, to which much attention is paid.
Social support for citizens is an important component of the policy of many European countries. In each state, it has its own features, but the emergence of the concept of a socially-oriented state occurred throughout Europe in almost the same way. The end of the 19th century was marked by the adoption of many social laws providing insurance for almost all areas of social risks. This process, inevitable for Europe, was caused by the need to prevent the threat of socialist movements and to conclude an agreement between the state, employers and workers.
The social policy of European countries, first of all, is designed to guarantee the receipt of basic social benefits by every citizen, as well as to ensure the development of the social sphere: health care, education, culture. The main principle of social support in European countries is the equalization of the rights and opportunities of all citizens by providing material assistance to low-income people, the unemployed, the disabled, and pensioners.
The main goal of the conservative welfare state is to support the family, not the individual citizen. Support is provided through the provision of material benefits regardless of citizenship or needs, but in accordance with the place of work and status. Such a system is coordinated corporately, i.e. not directly governed by the state. Such European countries as Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Austria are guided by this model.
The social democratic state sets itself the goal of equalizing the social rights of citizens and providing them with the same social conditions and benefits. State support is less dependent on a person's participation in market relations and is more related to his personal needs.
The liberal model of the welfare state provides for the use of the residual principle in the implementation of support for citizens. Those. the state actively stimulates the search for work by low-income people, while involving market entities in the process of social support. The individual is given the right to choose between a minimum set of services that are not of high quality, and similar quality services offered on market conditions. This model of social policy is used by Great Britain.
The process of social support in European states is multifaceted and complex; its structure depends on belonging to a particular model. But the existence of certain guarantees and protection of the social rights of citizens is observed in most European countries and serves as the basis for their social policy.
