SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIAL PROTECTION IN EU COUNTRIES: CURRENT STATUS AND TRENDS

Abstract

The article deals with the actual issues of social protection the citizens. The system of social protection after the collapse of the USSR in the conditions of economic recession and its further transformation during the transition of Ukraine to a market economy are considered. The importance of improving the social protection system is emphasized both to ensure the stable development of society and to meet the requirements for EU membership. The social problems of Ukraine today are discussed, including unemployment, poverty, etc. It is proposed to implement the experience of the European Union countries to develop effective social policy mechanisms in our country that would ensure the approximation of such European standards as: a stable standard of living for the population, an increase in employment, reducing income inequality, strengthening social protection, overcoming poverty. The article summarizes the experience of the countries of the European Union in relation to social assistance to the population, in particular the issues of transition from charity to social policy based on the optimal system of social support and social protection of citizens. The main conclusions are that the efforts of social policy should not be directed only to the provision of social assistance. The importance of providing employment and reducing unemployment is emphasized, since in countries with fragile economies, the risk of poverty is closely related to unemployment. It is noted that the increase in the economic component of the human right to social protection leads to the fact that workers have to deduct a higher percentage of their income into the social security system. Thus, the social safety net must be balanced, not too generous or too passive.