F o r e w o r d The European Economic and Social Model(EESM) is undoubtedly one of the most controversial areas within the European Union- especially when it comes to the question: is there a unique“ one-for-all-and-all-for-one approach” or are there many different mini-EESMs depending on the definition of how to delegate welfare-state responsibilities? Being part of a basket of common strategies, policies and pacts, the EESM can be described as a permanent“work in progress”. The very restrictive Stability and Growth Pact(SGP) and the European Employment Strategy(EES) have to a large extent influenced the discussion about the Lisbon Strategy since the year 2000. With the inclusion of the Community Charter of Fundamental Social Rights of Workers, commonly known as the Social Charter, into the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997, the EU gave itself a political instrument that contains moral obligations to guarantee the respect of a variety of social rights such as labour market relations and the working environment, gender issues and equal opportunities, reducing unemployment and creating better quality jobs, as well as improving training. Since then we have witnessed two major factors of influence: on the one hand, with the accession of 10 new EU member states in 2004, the overall extent of heterogeneous approaches and policies within the EU is on the increase. On the other hand, the deepening and further integration of the European Union produced new structures and institutions of multinational character which need to be dealt with through adequately designed common frameworks. Consequently, in spring 2005 the EU Commission carried out a“mid-term review” regarding the achievements of the Lisbon Strategy and came to the conclusion that aims and objectives are still valid, but implementation is lagging behind. It became obvious that moral obligations and the chosen Open Method of Coordination(OMC) are not efficient enough by a long way to produce results if there are no tougher instruments of governance in place. When the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung(FES) and the Institute for International Relations(IMO) in Zagreb organised the international conference“Reforms in Lisbon Strategy Implementation: Economic and Social Dimensions” on 3 May 3