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Paul Sweeney

Paul Sweeney was chief economist with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for a decade.

Ireland, the EU and the Apple tax case

Paul Sweeney

Ireland led the ‘race to the bottom’ on corporate taxation. The tide is beginning to turn.

The IRA and European industrial policy

Paul Sweeney

With the US turning interventionist, the EU will look foolish still backing ‘free markets’. Time for an enterprise policy.

From ‘free-market’ to subsidised capitalism

Paul Sweeney

To deal with the climate crisis, governments must recognise that only the state has allowed the last three crises to be contained.

Inflation in the strongest recovery since 1945

Paul Sweeney

Governments should ignore siren warnings that only hyperinflation can come from pandemic-induced investments.

An effective corporation-tax system for the EU

Paul Sweeney

Tax wars have so far denied the EU the unanimity required to stop the race to the bottom on corporation tax.

Ireland’s recovery: from bust to buoyancy … to Brexit?

Paul Sweeney

If procyclical domestic policies inflated Ireland’s economic bubble, procyclical austerity demanded by the troika which bailed it out makes Ireland’s recovery all the more remarkable.

Ireland’s route from boom to bubble to bust

Paul Sweeney

Ireland’s volatile economic path of recent decades has wider European policy implications. Part one: the ‘Celtic Tiger’ and its demise

The Collapse Of European Social Democracy, Part 2

Paul Sweeney

In the first part of his analysis Paul Sweeney pointed to a variety of causes behind the decline of social democracy over the past 30

The Collapse Of European Social Democracy, Part 1

Paul Sweeney

Introduction Social Democracy (SD) has been the most powerful political force in Europe since the Second World War. It turned the nation state into the

What Hope For Civilisation If Apple Pays No Tax?

Paul Sweeney

Brussels has been accused of “bending the rules” in its pursuit of Apple for €13 billion in taxes it says should have been paid in

On Apple Tax, State Must Side With Its Citizens

Paul Sweeney

It is widely agreed that globalisation has brought immense benefits. But it is also recognised that these benefits are not equally distributed. Last week’s Apple

Curbing Tax Avoidance, Tax Evasion And Tax Havens

Paul Sweeney

The aggressive tax avoidance by multinational corporations (MNCs) where they are now paying virtually no tax was highlighted recently by the takeover of “Irish” company Allergan

How Globalisation And Technology Drive Insecurity

Paul Sweeney

People are insecure. Young people worry about getting a decent job, finding a secure home and having to pay off the vast debts run up

My Experience With The Troika In Ireland

Paul Sweeney

The day the Troika came to town was a dark day for the Irish. Troika is a Russian word meaning a sled drawn by three

S&D Group in the European Parliament advertisement

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

ETUI advertisement

HESA Magazine Cover

Back to school with HesaMag 30: the leading European magazine on occupational safety and health explores teachers’ deteriorating working conditions. With field reporting, expert voices and trade union analysis, plus insights into EU policy shifts, discover why teachers’ health is key to our future.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Mental Health
Eurofound Brussels Briefing on Mental Health in the EU

As part of its #BrusselsBriefings series, Eurofound is hosting an off-the-record session on 9 December dedicated to its recent research on mental health.
Eurofound expert Hans Dubois will present the latest findings drawing on comparative data, exploring how crises such as the Great Recession and COVID-19 have shaped mental-health outcomes, how different risk groups are evolving, and why social and economic conditions remain central drivers of poor mental health in EU countries.
REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND IN PERSON

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

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

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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