Because social security is one of the policy areas that belongs to the exclusive competence of the EU Member States, normative EU legislation in this field is lacking. In an attempt to limit disparities in social protection within the EU, the European Commission advocated the acceptance of international (minimum) social security standards by accessing states before they entered the EU. At the same time, these international standards are being criticised: they are regarded as outdated and lacking legal power, and therefore not useful to modern European countries. This ambiguous position in respect of the standards calls for an investigation into their (ir)relevance for the European Union on the basis of actual cases. This article will first give an overview of the different standards. Then, their position within the EU and their impact on national social security provisions will be discussed on the basis of case studies. Problematic issues arising from the case studies will be analysed to determine whether the problems confirm the criticism that the international standards are not suitable for well-developed welfare states. Finally, conclusions will be drawn on the value of the international standards for the EU.
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