The EU’s Largest Investment Programme Holds Lessons We Cannot Afford to Ignore
The Next Generation EU programme, despite sluggish implementation and limited coverage, reveals how industrial policy can drive green transition—if governments act.
Politics
Social Europe is an award-winning digital media publisher driven by the core values of freedom, sustainability, and equality. These principles guide our exploration of society’s most pressing challenges. This archive page curates Social Europe articles focused on political issues, offering a rich resource for innovative thinking and informed debate.
Europe’s Foreign Policy Is Broken by Design—Here’s How to Fix It
Kaja Kallas is not the problem; the EU's dysfunctional institutional architecture is crippling its global influence.
Chile’s Democracy Faces Its Gravest Test Since Pinochet
A far-right candidate threatens to dismantle decades of democratic progress in Latin America's most celebrated success story.
Why European Universities Must Not Follow America’s
The American model has produced rentier capitalism and functional illiteracy—Europe's universities must return to their civilising mission.
The Digital Omnibus: Deregulation Dressed as Innovation
The EU's sweeping data and AI package loosens safeguards for workers while promising competitiveness gains that will flow mainly to US tech giants.
Poland Shows Hungary How Grassroots Democracy Can Defeat Authoritarian Drift
Civil society and local autonomy proved decisive in Poland's democratic revival—lessons Hungary must now learn.
Why Political Imagination Has Died—And How to Resurrect It
Margaret Thatcher's ghost haunts global politics as leaders worldwide embrace her "no alternative" mantra, leaving citizens trapped in a system that refuses to acknowledge its own ideology.
Uruguay’s Enduring State: From Century-Old Consensus to Twenty-First Century Trials
A nation built on public provision faces new tests as crime, inequality and demographic shifts challenge its foundational social contract.
The Algorithmic Workplace: How Platformisation Is Reshaping Work in Europe
New evidence reveals that data-driven management now shapes how millions work across Europe—with profound implications for autonomy and well-being.
Sir Keir Starmer Wants Growth—Perhaps He Should Learn Spanish
Spain's socialist government has delivered economic growth three times faster than Britain's; Labour would do well to study how.
The UK-EU Reset Needs Strategic Planning, Not Summit Improvisation
Without careful preparation and raised ambitions, the 2026 summit risks becoming a missed opportunity to inject real momentum into UK-EU relations.
Brazil in the Labyrinth: State, Democracy and Inequality
As Brazil approaches crucial elections, the country must confront deep structural challenges that have undermined democratic progress for decades.
Why Europe Should Be Serious About Transparency on Pay
The EU's Pay Transparency Directive offers a powerful tool for equality, but only if member states implement it with rigour and ambition.
Trump’s Ukraine Deal Is the Wrong Way to Peace in Ukraine
Timothy Snyder thinks the proposed settlement negotiated by Russia and the US would make the world far more dangerous.
France’s Democratic Malaise: Stop Blaming Citizens, Start Reforming Institutions
When eight in ten French citizens feel unrepresented, the problem lies not with democratic fatigue but with a political system that has forgotten how to listen.
Europe Must Abandon Appeasement and Confront Trump’s Hostile America
The failure of European leaders' strategy of accommodation proves that Trump's United States has become an adversary, not an ally, demanding a fundamental shift in EU policy.
Europe’s Eco-Social Union: The Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s Great Transformation
As climate ambitions falter, Europe's unique framework for linking social and ecological goals may prove more resilient—and revolutionary—than it appears.