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Avatar photoStan De Spiegelaere

Stan De Spiegelaere is a policy and research director at UNI Europa and guest professor at the University of Ghent.

From Hitler’s Industrialists to Trump’s Tech Bros: The Case for Democracy at Work

Stan De Spiegelaere

The alignment of America's tech billionaires with authoritarian politics echoes 1930s industrial collaboration — but Germany and Spain offer a democratic remedy.

When too few employers means too low wages

Stan De Spiegelaere and Oliver Roethig

Collective bargaining can redress the vulnerability of workers who find themselves in a buyers’ labour market.

Collective bargaining: Romania shows the way

Oliver Roethig and Stan De Spiegelaere

Romania’s recent law strengthening collective bargaining offers a way forward for the European Union.

Reversing the procurement race to the bottom

Oliver Roethig and Stan De Spiegelaere

Companies must be denied contracts if they refuse to respect workers’ rights.

It’s time to talk about democracy at work

Stan De Spiegelaere

Democracy at work has many benefits but above all it is a matter of human dignity.

An Unlikely Cure For Populism: Workplace Democracy

Stan De Spiegelaere

Trump in the White House, Orban in Hungary, the Law and Justice party in Poland, the AfD in Germany, Erdoğan in Turkey… It seems like

Top Of The Christmas Wish List: A Working Time Reduction

Stan De Spiegelaere

In our family, Christmas means sending and receiving wish lists. This year, my cousin took a very honest approach and wished for (among other things)

Do We Need Another Renault To Wake Us Up?

Stan De Spiegelaere

Exactly 20 years ago today, the very first European-wide strike was organized. In all Renault plants workers suspended work for one hour in protest against

Let’s Give A New Boost To European Works Councils

Stan De Spiegelaere

The social policy track record of the European Union is bleak at best. But in one field the EU did make a marked difference: in

ETUI Advertisement

A more strategic Europe? Risks and opportunities for the world of work

Europe’s ambition to achieve strategic autonomy is at risk of being undermined from within, according to the annual flagship report by the ETUI and the ETUC. Despite signs of macroeconomic resilience, weakening investment, stalled decarbonisation and growing labour market fragilities are eroding the very foundations on which Europe’s power depends. Once again, the Benchmarking Working Europe 2026 report stands out as an invaluable resource, providing a comprehensive set of indicators illustrated through more than 60 graphs and tables, with analysis from ETUI researchers.

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Eurofound Advertisement

Is financial resilience and trust in Europe faltering?

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, host Mary McCaughey and senior researcher Eszter Sandor unpack the results of the 2025 Living and Working in the EU e-survey. While headline inflation has stabilised at 2.1%, the data reveals a continent gripped by chronic precariousness, with 57% of respondents now at risk of depression. Mary and Eszter explore how this economic insecurity is impacting institutional trust and democratic engagement.

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FEPS Advertisement

Read the book "The open future and its enemies" 

A robust democracy must not leave the future in the hands of the alliance between Big Tech and the far right. AI must be politically reined in and democratically shaped so that humanity retains its sovereignty.

Artificial intelligence is regarded as the driving force of progress. Yet it has long since become a challenge to democracy. The book argues that uncontrolled AI will erode our freedom, self-determination and democracy.

READ THE BOOK
Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2026

Minimum wage policy across Europe has shifted significantly, with many EU countries raising wages above average and anchoring them to adequate living standards. This trend is consolidating as countries increasingly adopt the reference values recommended in the European Minimum Wage Directive — recently upheld by the European Court of Justice.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
S&D Group in the European Parliament Advertisement

S&D Africa Days 2026

We are pleased to invite you to save the date for the S&D Africa Days 2026, taking place on 30 June and 1 July 2026, in Brussels. 

At a time when Africa is too often viewed through narrow and one-sided narratives, this initiative reflects a key political priority for the S&D Group: to advance a renewed, forward-looking partnership of equals between Europe and Africa based on equality, solidarity, social justice and shared progress. 

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FES Advertisement

“What is the actual purpose of the state?” – this central question is the focus of the analysis. At a time when bureaucratic processes are making life difficult for citizens, the paper proposes a three-part model. It aims at a conception of the state as a platform that helps society build the capabilities it needs to address its problems effectively.

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