Little attention has been paid to the extent to which EU law ensures the provision of welfare functions and whether there are any observable trends. This book brings together essays by leading legal scholars from a number of European countries on the question of whether welfare functions can be expected to become increasingly integrated into EU law following the possible ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon. The essays are evolutionary in their approach. They are based on papers presented at a research conference held at the Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, in August 2008. This broad conceptual approach mirrors the composition of the group of contributors who are all lawyers within different legal disciplines. They represent various legal cultures and styles partly related to different geographical backgrounds. The contributions address different dimensions of the evolution regarding welfare functions in EU law.