Since the European Union came into existence, it has faced two major economic crises. In the 1970s, the first oil crisis put an end to the continuous and fastest economic growth of the first period of the European Economic Communities. More than 40 years later, the 2008 financial crisis generated a series of acute crises, the effects of which can be felt to this day. Comparing the European Union's social response to these two key periods, and more specifically comparing how the European Union faced the issue of company restructuring, highlights the evolution of Social Europe. While the 1970s saw the first steps towards harmonising social legislation, with the adoption of the first social directives, it has been almost impossible to adopt new rules on the European level since the 2000s. After analysing these two periods, the specific objective of this paper is to analyse whether the European Pillar of Social Rights marks a real departure from current prevailing trends.