The Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy and the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance , both part of the Max Planck Law network, are engaging in an ongoing interdisciplinary initiative aimed at addressing the complex fiscal and social challenges confronting the European Union. Established on 1 January 2024, the ‘Max Planck Hub Social and Fiscal State’ brings together social law and tax law perspectives to navigate the major issues that have tested the EU’s resilience over the past fifteen years, including the financial crisis, the Euro crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine.
A central component of the Hub’s activities is the lecture series titled ‘The Future of the Fiscal State and the Social State in the European Union’. This series facilitates an in-depth examination of critical topics such as taxation, social security, fiscal transfers, multi-level fiscal and social governance and multi-level governance, and the principle of solidarity within Europe. The lecture series addresses the division of labour between Member States and the European Union, as well as the interactions among various European institutions.
The inaugural event, held on 18 January 2024, began with a lecture from Max Planck Law Fellow Professor Ruth Mason with a lecture titled ‘Federalism and Solidarity—a Comparative Project’. Appointment as a Max Planck Law Fellow is the highest honour that the Max Planck Law network can confer on scholars working outside the Max Planck Society. Ruth Mason was nominated by Directors at the Munich Institutes and her research, particularly focused on uncovering and understanding fiscal mechanisms that foster federal solidarity, is increasingly pertinent as the EU takes on more substantial fiscal responsibilities.
Following Professor Mason’s contribution, Professor Dr Koen Lenaerts (President of the Court of Justice of the European Union), delivered a lecture on ‘Solidarity as a Multifunctional Principle in the EU Legal Order: Challenges and Implications for the Future of Social and Fiscal Europe’. The lecture addressed the value of solidarity in the EU, emphasizing its influence on the Court of Justice’s interpretation of EU law and fundamental rights. Professor Lenaerts highlighted the role of the Court in ensuring that solidarity shapes both the internal policies of Member States and their mutual fiscal and social relations, in particular through rulings that prevent abuse of EU law.
The collaboration between the two Munich Institutes has thus far proven fruitful, with joint workshops helping to explore opportunities for future research at the intersection of fiscal and social law. Even stronger collaboration is expected as Professor Mason undertakes research visits at both Munich Institutes.
The 2024 lecture series comprises several key events:
- 7 March 2024, Dr Uwe Corsepius (former Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union) ‘The European Reform Debate—Remarks from European Policy Practice.’
- 8 May 2024, Professor Alicia Hinarejos (McGill University) ‘Fiscal Integration in the EU: The Consequences of “Legal Acrobatics”.’
- 15 July 2024, Brigid Laffan (Emeritus Professor at the European University) ‘Public Finance Crises and EU Integration’.
- 16 September 2024, Professor Andrea Sangiovanni (King’s College London) | ‘The EU Excludes Non-European Countries from Accession: Is it Right to Do so?’
- 11 December 2024, Professor Dr Armin von Bogdandy (Director), topic to be announced.
To stay updated on these events and other activities of the Max Planck Hub Fiscal and Social State, please visit the Hub’s webpages at the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance and the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy