A fair, humane and realistic asylum policy
A workable asylum policy in line with European values could be pursued by a Schengen-style coalition of the willing.
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.
Brexit and the misunderstanding of sovereignty
While the negotiators haggle over a deal to avoid a new-year car crash, the fundamental problem is the obsolete notion of sovereignty held in London.
Reform of global taxation cannot wait
The huge fiscal pressures occasioned by the pandemic mean global tax-gaming by corporations and the wealthy is a luxury we can no longer afford.
The Biden victory and the future of the centre-left
Postwar global progress has hinged on a transatlantic alliance of progressive parties. The election in the United States potentially opens a new chapter.
The rule of law: a simple phrase with exacting demands
If the finger is to be pointed—rightly—at Hungary and Poland, then the EU must insist on compliance by all with universal norms.
Care, capitalism and politics
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted how the welfare state of the future must be built on an ethic of care rather than self-interest.
Barrelling towards the ‘Brexit’ cliff edge
The most frightening thing is not the UK government’s end-game strategy, Paul Mason writes. It’s that there isn’t one.
Europe must stand up to Hungary and Poland
The European Union cannot afford to compromise on the rule-of-law provisions it applies to the funds it allocates to member states.
The rise of right-wing nationalism: from Poland to Polanyi
Karin Pettersson argues that far from history ‘ending’ in 1989 it has returned, with a vengeance, due to the very deregulation its trumpeters embraced.
The lost cause of the Trumpocracy
Like the southerners who never could get over their loss in the American civil war, Trump has nothing left but his own mythology.
Minimum-wage directive: yes, but …
The draft minimum-wage directive is a crucial first step but more needs to follow on the way to a social Europe.
The right to socially useful work
Amid the 1970s economic crisis in Britain, Lucas Aerospace workers, threatened with redundancy, developed a plan for socially useful work. It’s an idea whose time has come.
Work for all
An EU-wide job guarantee would be a counter-cyclical measure to tackle the health, employment and ecological crises together.
Is the coronavirus going to reshape the European welfare state?
In the wake of the pandemic, the classical variety of national welfare models must be transformed into a multi-level social citizenship.
A watershed moment for citizenship education in Europe
The pandemic has reinforced the need for citizenship education, so individuals are equipped to cope with its global challenges—and all the others.
A new start for transatlantic social democracy?
A Biden administration could join forces with progressive Europe to rebut polarising populism on both sides of the pond.
A human-centred approach to the future of work: time to walk the walk
The centenary of the International Labour Organization saw publication of a major report on the future of work. Action on its recommendations is now even more urgent.