This paper was delivered at Hasselt University, on the occasion of a Master class, held on May 31 2012, following the conferral of a doctorate HC in law.

'Common places', as argued in this paper, may at times fulfil a persuasive function. This is the case of messages enshrined in Europe 2020. In the aftermath of an unprecedented economic and financial crisis they may sound like common places.
European institutions have given precedence to measures on financial and budgetary stability, thus marginalising social and employment policies.
The only promising developments, the 'new places' in labour law, must be searched in the new synergies among employment and cohesion policies. National and subnational levels of decison-making should be favoured in order to attain the delivery of new partnership agreements, supported by European structural funds.