EU – shield or booster in the globalisation process?

All too often, ascriptions to the EU as being 'neoliberal' or 'interventionist' have been made from both sides of the political and academic sphere. However, the evidence to prove these assessments are mostly only implied. This paper takes a closer look, based on textual evidence and using the Lisbon Strategy as an example. It analyses whether the European Union – via guidelines and recommendations of the European Council and the Council of Ministers – restricts or enhances the member states' capabilities to act (focus on the expenditure side) in the wake of globalisation and, additionally, whether these measures correspond to the role of the state – interventionist versus liberal – propagated in the documents.