Social Europe articles on politics

As was predictable, the Rome Declaration of 25 March 2017 (for the sixtieth anniversary of the Rome Treaties) ended up in an ambiguous compromise. Even Merkel’s wishes to introduce the principle of a multi-speed Europe into the Declaration was scaled down. The Declaration recites: “We will act together, at different paces and intensity where necessary, […]

The EU is confronted with its inability to solve successive crises. It is facing increasing unpopularity, culminating in the Brexit decision. While the EU is paralyzed, national democracies find themselves unable to solve the great challenges of our times: rising inequality and the need to transform our economies into low-carbon alternatives. The European Commission has […]

Promises from British Brexiteers of a soft border in Ireland are almost worthless. UK Prime Minister Theresa May has other priorities. Anyway, it depends on negotiations involving 27 other governments including the Irish Government, and on what people in Ireland North and South do – or perhaps fail to do. A 56% Northern Ireland majority, […]

Trump, Brexit, Le Pen. Right-wing populist revolts are shaking the liberal order. Progressives, however, lack the strength to rein in global capitalism, break the neoliberal hegemony and fight back that populist challenge. To save democracy, we need to get down to work on three construction sites: a new economic model, an identity narrative and a […]

Last year served up two extraordinary referenda, fought under similar conditions, and with similar results, but which led to remarkably different outcomes. Today in Britain, a new prime minister grimly prepares to trigger fundamental changes to the nation’s economic and legal affairs that she knows will leave it poorer, weaker and smaller. In Colombia, a […]

There is no such thing as post-truth or alternative facts. However, fact, integrity and transparency are the foundations of transatlantic democracies and the Euro-Atlantic community. The United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US) and now France have fallen into the same trap: campaigns based on extensive lies, tapping on emotion and frustration, and unaccountability fueling […]

While Europe found itself in a new triangular relationship and holding more and more divergent views with the USA’s Trumpism on one side and Russia’s Putinism on the other, the composition of fish fingers and chocolate spread became a popular discussion topic in the press and amongst EU Member States. The increasingly tense global debates […]

All roads lead to Rome – where Saturday’s 60th anniversary celebrations of the Rome Treaty took place – but there is no single or clear pathway beyond it. There is widespread demand for change and new energy but, simultaneously, an equally widespread sense of helplessness in defining what change ought to mean and where the […]

Better relations between Ankara-Brussels require cool heads and bold moves. The Dutch election results are encouraging news, both for the EU and its relations with Ankara. The Dutch have rejected extremism, but it is only a first step. The toxic atmosphere leading up to these elections indicates the huge challenges ahead. Along with Brexit and […]

The new world disorder is under way while speculation about what President Trump would do has given way to a spate of executive orders. The cocktail of reactionary withdrawal from previous commitments (Trump + Brexit is imposing a change of guard on international relationships, leaving the northern hemisphere turned upside down. The neoliberal economic and […]