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Patrick ten Brink

Patrick ten Brink is secretary general of the European Environmental Bureau.

A new European social contract must be green

Patrick ten Brink

Civil society stands up for a European pact for the future—green, social and fit for a one-planet economy.

EU leaders may miss a rendezvous with history

Patrick ten Brink

The emerging strategic agenda for the next EU mandate reveals an ecological step backwards Europe cannot afford to take.

2024: a year that will decide the future

Patrick ten Brink, Faustine Bas-Defossez and Christian Skrivervik

The European Green Deal faces a fork in the road—between the politics of hope and the politics of fear—as the June elections loom.

Energy union: including the public imperative

Patrick ten Brink

Pursuit of industrial competitiveness and renewable technologies must avoid a backlash from disengaged citizens.

Backtracking on a green and just transition?

Patrick ten Brink and Faustine Bas-Defossez

The Granada declaration will signal whether Europe’s leaders can rise to the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises.

Nature Restoration Law: an opportunity crucial to seize

Patrick ten Brink, Faustine Bas-Defossez and Laura Hildt

The EU Nature Restoration Law has been saved but with its ambition deeply eroded—negotiators must restore its aspirations.

How to promote green industry beyond subsidies

Patrick ten Brink and Luke Haywood

The EU has more to offer green industry—a stronger regulatory framework and credible carbon pricing.

Progress and setbacks from COP27

Patrick ten Brink, Luke Haywood, Katy Wiese and Alberto Vela

The European Union cannot rely on the United Nations process to deliver and must reinforce its own climate efforts.

Green Deal: the light at the end of the crisis tunnel

Patrick ten Brink and Alberto Vela

The faster we deploy the European Green Deal, the quicker we become crisis-proof. Brussels must resist siren calls for inertia.

Pollution: no acceptable levels

Patrick ten Brink, Margherita Tolotto and Sergiy Moroz

‘Zero pollution’ is a very good goal for the European Union to adopt—but only if zero means zero.

Leaving behind the EU’s deadly addiction to deregulation

Patrick ten Brink

Better regulation is benevolent and participatory, cognisant of complexity and future-oriented. Deregulation it is not.

Returning our food systems to business as usual would be a historic mistake

Patrick ten Brink

Amid the coronavirus crisis, some are calling for a deferral of European ecological action. Yet unsustainable food systems are one source of new human diseases.

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

Progressive Post Issues

The Autumn-Winter issue of The Progressive Post is out!”

Among this issue’s highlights, we debate war and defence, underlining the urgent necessity of peace. We look at the European Commission's budget proposal, particularly the fate of the cohesion funds, and at the EU's international partnerships and ask whether the EU can pursue its strategic interests while simultaneously promoting its partners' genuine development. Finally, we address COP30 and the issue of fossil fuels, which was intentionally ignored during the negotiations held in Brazil.

READ NOW

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WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the European Minimum Wage Directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

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Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

Cohesion Policy seeks to foster balanced development and reduce economic, social, and territorial disparities, focusing on rural areas, regions in industrial transition, and those with severe or permanent natural or demographic disadvantages, including outermost, sparsely populated, island, cross-border, and mountain regions.

READ THE PAPER HERE

S&D Group in the European Parliament advertisement

Health

🇪🇺 Building a Resilient, Equitable EU Health Union: The S&D Blueprint


From securing pharmaceutical autonomy and guaranteeing universal access to care (the European Health Guarantee) to combatting non-communicable diseases and closing the Gender Health Gap. Read the S&D Group in the European Parliament Position Paper demanding that health becomes a priority across all EU policies.

READ THE POSITION PAPER

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HESA Magazine Cover

European productivity: the real constraint is not debt, but investment

The EU’s Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) has become a central tool for shaping national budgets under the new economic governance framework. According to a new ETUI paper, it is also systematically undervaluing the economic benefits of public investment—at the expense of productivity and long-term growth. “Rethinking the role of public investment does not mean abandoning fiscal discipline. It means recognising that certain investments strengthen long-term debt sustainability by generating higher growth and stronger public revenues,” explains Christos Pierros, the author.

READ HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Mental Health
Eurofound Talks: Europe's productivity paradox

This episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast looks at why Europe has experienced a more profound slowdown in growth compared to other developed regions, and why greater labour input and higher human capital has not translated into higher output per worker. Mary McCaughey and John Hurley also discuss whether Europe can, and should, look to compete with countries such as the United States and China in the race to harness artificial intelligence.
LISTEN HERE

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