The progress achieved in these areas, though modest in certain countries in the region, would certainly contribute to achieving the dual aim of a ‘flexicurity’ strategy. As understood by the Council of Europe, social cohesion is the capacity of a society to ensure the welfare of all its members, minimising disparities and avoiding polarisation. A cohesive society is a mutually supportive community of free individuals pursuing these common goals by democratic means. All societies have to live with the strains and stresses caused by divisions and potential divisions.