The National Council of Social Service is the major voluntary body in the United Kingdom responsible for social welfare. Its paper on the future of social policy in the European Community was submitted to the EEC Commission by its International Committee, after widespread consultation with a large number of national and local voluntary agencies in the UK. The paper outlines the Community's present approach to social policy. The aims of its Social Action Programme are by no means valueless, but it has still tended to regard the human being chiefly as an instrument of economic production. Consequently, while the Community may be relevant to industry and governments, it has little attraction for the public at large. If the Community is to have any real meaning as a community it will need to give much greater priority to social policy, and to achieving social justice throughout the member states. Furthermore it should pursue policies which will strengthen the sense of Community identity and citizenship and should introduce greater democracy within its institutional structure and operations. The paper recommends a number of specific measures within the broad field of social policy which might achieve these goals. These include proposals concerning employment, working conditions, income maintenance and distribution, migrant workers, health and social services, consumer and environment policy, overseas development and institutional democracy.