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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.

As Temperatures Rise, European Workers Face a Looming Threat

Marouane Laabbas-el-Guennouni

The European Trade Union Confederation is urgently calling for a new directive to protect workers from the escalating dangers of extreme heat.

Europe Must Prepare for Security Without America

Almut Möller

European leaders face an unprecedented challenge: building continental defence whilst managing an unpredictable American president.

Navigating Uncertainty: Germany’s SPD Grapples with Its Future

Robert Misik

Despite securing key ministries and policy successes, Germany’s Social Democrats face internal disarray and a fractured vision at their upcoming party conference.

The War on the Liberal Class

David Klion

Liberalism’s core class is under siege—can the liberal order survive the global backlash against its institutional power?

The Future of Social Democracy: How the German SPD can Win Again

Henning Meyer

Social democracy can’t survive without vision. The SPD must rediscover its purpose and emotional power.

How Trade Unions Can Champion Solidarity in Europe’s Migration Debate

Neva Löw

As migration policy reaches a crucial juncture, trade unions in Europe are challenged to expand solidarity-based strategies amidst intensifying crackdowns.

The Weak Strongman: How Trump’s Presidency Emboldens America’s Enemies

Timothy Snyder

Trump performs strength at home—but abroad, adversaries see only institutional collapse and strategic weakness.

Finland’s Austerity Gamble: Tax Cuts for the Rich, Pain for the Poor

Jussi Systä

A right-wing government's fiscal policies, sold as a path to sustainability, appear to favour corporations and the wealthy, while the working majority face harsh cuts.

Poland’s Polarised Election Signals a Wider Crisis for Liberal Democracy

Catherine De Vries

A razor-thin victory for the national-conservative Law and Justice Party reveals deep societal divisions and a broader erosion of centrist coalitions across the West.

Poland’s War Against Itself

Sławomir Sierakowski

A shocking upset hands Poland’s presidency to a far-right populist with a scandal-ridden past and extremist allies.

Portugal’s Political Earthquake: Centrist Grip Crumbles, Right Ascends

Emanuel Ferreira

A seismic shift in Portugal's 2025 elections reflects a broader Western trend: the erosion of centrist dominance and the rise of populist forces.

Britain’s COVID Generation: Why Social Democracy Must Seize the Moment

Jatinder Hayre

COVID spotlighted inequality. Europe must act—or lose a generation to austerity’s long shadow and policy neglect.

Trump’s ‘Golden Era’ Fades as European Allies Face Harsh New Reality

Ferenc Németh and Peter Kreko

Once optimistic, key European leaders who backed Donald Trump now face stinging tariffs and a new, uncompromising Washington.

Ending Britain’s “Brief Encounter” with Brexit

Stefan Stern

A romantic Brexit reset? UK and EU edge closer to ending their brief but painful post-referendum encounter.

The Future of American Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye

Soft power helped America lead the world. Trump’s wrecking ball diplomacy risks handing that role to China.

Europe Day with New Dimensions

László Andor and Udo Bullmann

Transatlantic Tensions Demand A New Geoeconomic Strategy For Europe.

Funding the Future: Why the EU Needs a Bold New Budget

Carla Tavares

As the current long-term budget nears its end, the European Parliament is laying down its demands for a more ambitious financial framework to tackle mounting challenges.

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ETUI Advertisement

New Edition - Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2025

Can Europe preserve its distinctive social model while simultaneously rearming, reindustrialising, and reorganising its economy in a more conflictual and competitive world? This is the central question raised in this new edition of the Bilan social, a reference publication released every spring for more than 25 years by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the European Social Observatory (OSE).

READ HERE
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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.

LISTEN HERE
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
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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. 

MORE INFO
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“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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