Europe’s Industrial Crisis: Invest Now or Accept Decline
Across 18 sectors, only aerospace and defence remain globally competitive—Europe must abandon naivety and act decisively.
Economy
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 economic issues, offering a rich resource for innovative thinking and informed debate.
After Landmark EU Court Judgement: The EU Minimum Wages Directive Is Alive and Kicking
The landmark ruling validates the directive's approach to adequate wages and collective bargaining, dealing only minor setbacks to its implementation across Europe.
The Trouble with Abundance
"Abundance" sounds appealing, but institutional competence and economic wisdom matter more than uplifting slogans.
Europe Needs Industrial Policy That Puts Workers First in an Age of Uncertainty
Bold industrial strategy must combine green transformation with social justice to secure Europe's economic future.
Europe Needs A Public Investment Revolution To Secure Its Economic Future
Boosting infrastructure spending would stimulate growth and employment without threatening debt sustainability.
The Real Digital Revolution At Work: Why Platformisation Matters More Than Robots
The digital transformation of work isn't destroying jobs through automation—it's fundamentally reshaping how work is organised, managed and controlled.
The Digital Imperative for European SMEs
Europe's SME digital divide persists despite EU efforts, with financial constraints and skills shortages hindering transformation.
Why Europe Needs an Industrial Policy for Services
Manufacturing can't create jobs anymore. Services must step up—with smart policy to boost productivity.
How to Control the Increase of Income Inequality Due to New Technologies?
New technologies drive inequality by concentrating capital income. Three policy approaches can help spread ownership and moderate disparities.
Europe Needs Active Demand Management, Not Business As Usual
As tariff wars and industrial crises mount, Europe must abandon austerity for investment-driven internal demand.
When Corporate Mergers Hurt Workers, Europe Must Act
Europe's merger watchdogs generally ignore labour market impacts, but there is a possibility for change.
The ECB Must Embrace Europe’s Green Finance Rules To Secure Both Climate Goals And Financial Stability
Integrating sustainable finance standards into central bank operations would align market incentives and strengthen the eurozone's climate resilience.
The EU’s Industrial Policy Needs Better Governance
Europe's fragmented approach to industrial strategy undermines its ability to compete with China and the United States.
Europe’s Innovation Agencies Need Radical Reform To Meet Today’s Grand Challenges
Innovation agencies in the EU are no longer fit for purpose. A major overhaul of both the concept of innovation and of institutional structures is urgent.
Industrial Policy Must Include Citizens And Workers
Europe's twin transformation needs social conditionalities to prevent corporate capture and build democratic legitimacy.
Europe’s Green Jobs Crisis: Why Slow Decarbonisation Threatens Employment More Than Climate Action
Lagging investment in clean technologies poses a greater risk to European jobs than the green transition itself.
Europe’s Critical Raw Materials Strategy Demands Equitable Global Partnerships
The EU's industrial ambitions hinge on transforming extractive relationships into sustainable partnerships with resource-rich nations.