Between Hope and Fear: The Creation of a More Inclusive EU Single Market Through Art. 9 TFEU

In this Article, we assess to what extent art. 9 TFEU, which contains the social mainstreaming clause, may be used to shore up the social dimension of the EU Single Market. The story of hope of a more socially inclusive internal market starts with the “porous” EU internal market legal framework itself and ends with art. 153 TFEU and the European Pillar of Social Rights. Yet, there are also fears that, despite the language of social mainstreaming, the EU cannot deliver on the promise of art. 9 TFEU for various reasons, including the limited legislative competences of the EU to pursue social policies. While we mainly want to emphasize the story of hope, we will also look into the fears and how some of these could be addressed.