Description: This paper was prepared for the workshop held on September 8, 2006 entitled ‘Social policy and labour market integration in Canada and the EU’. The workshop discussion was based on the assumption that an effective interface between social and labour market policies is important not only in assuring employment opportunities for the population, but also in realizing goals associated with the creation of a competitive 'knowledge' economy. The particular social policies that formed the focus of this workshop were: (a) integration of immigrants; (b) child care policy; and (c) educational policy in its interface with regional integration and labour market development. This policy memo, ‘Childcare and the European Union: A bumpy but upward path’ focuses on child care policy in Canada and the EU. This short paper does not provide a full-scale comparison of the two jurisdictions’ attention to the linkages between childcare and their policy strategies, but it instead focuses on how the EU has confronted three shared circumstances. The three shared circumstances are: 1. neither the EU nor the Government of Canada (GoC) has constitutional responsibility for childcare services; 2. both the EU and the GoC have relied on a variety of tools to gain some leverage over childcare policy and programmes; 3. both the EU and the GoC have seen the organisation of childcare services as well as incentives for some parental care as important to their overall policy strategy for future economic and social well-being. Comments on the policy issue were made by Dr. Peter Moss from the Institute of Education, University of London and Dr. Rianne Mahon from Carleton University. See links below. Comment by Dr. Peter Moss Comment by Dr. Rianne Mahon