The whole section of previous issue of Problems of social policy was devoted to the topic of European social model. Authors couldn’t agree, one should treat European model as a matter of identity or as a mater of utopian project, and another one should talk about one European social policy or about many social policies in Europe. In my opinion many problems with European social model can be solved or at least be better described if we talk about the European System of Social Polices (ESSP). In this system national social policies infl uence each other, social policy of European Union infl uences national social policies and national polices infl uence policy of European Union. The system consists of interrelated elements. Looking at European social model as a system gives us also an opportunity to identify main problems concerning social policy in Europe.