Between 1981 and 1984, during the budgetary crisis of the European Community, significant negotiations were held between the Ten in connection with the reform of the European Social Fund. At the same time, there was a major political change in France: the left--led by Francois Mitterrand--came to power. In the social field, Francois Mitterrand had a wide-ranging programme to propose to his European partners, which he summarised as the "European social space". The essence of this concept was: concerted reflation for economic activity (by increasing public deficits) and an attempt to make reduction of working time a priority for Europe. Faced with the hostility of other Member States, this plan for a European social space had to be modified. However, this led to the inclusion of the notion of European vocational training. Finally, after several months of negotiation, the French became ardent defenders of European vocational training plans. (Contains 24 footnotes.)