Italy, Denmark and Germany

Abstract

The article analyses the latest reforms in active and passive labour market policies (LMPs) in Germany, Italy and Denmark, within a European perspective. These Member States employ three of the various kinds of social security systems found in the EU - Continental, Mediterranean and Nordic - and provide an interesting example for comparison of differences/common trends in LMPs. This contribution focuses particularly on the principal characteristics of each protection system in the event of unemployment and on the relationships between unemployment benefits and activation policies and highlights the links between the European Employment Guidelines and the regulation under analysis.