politics, economy and employment & labour
Social Europe is an award-winning digital media publisher that publishes content examining issues in politics, economy and employment & labour. This archive brings together Social Europe articles on political issues.
Brexit means that Poland is losing a key EU ally. Both countries shared a similar vision of an expanded single market combined with a reluctance to allow the EU more economic policy powers, especially on taxation. They are strongly Atlanticist and viewed the development of EU security and defence policies as complementary, rather than an […]
The British prime minister, Theresa May, does not take time off from her responsibilities in London to travel to Scotland – even to address the conference of the Scottish Conservative party – without good reason. Of course, she has every reason since, unless she treads very carefully indeed, the United Kingdom’s threatened departure from the […]
One of the common values that unites the European Union is that of equal opportunities: all citizens should have the same possibility to improve their lives and participate in the labour market regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Ensuring equal opportunities in finding work also represents a key goal for Europe in facing […]
The Chinese aren’t the only ones Donald Trump picks on when it comes to international trade. He is also going after the Germans for their surplus. In an interview on January 16 for Bild, the widely read daily tabloid, (and the Times of London) he threatened to slap a 35 percent import tariff on German […]
When asked where he stands on the left-right axis, Emmanuel Macron gives a long answer along these lines: “I come from the left, but I don’t believe the left-right divide is the right one today. Look at how both the left and the right are divided, and how primaries have reinforced radicals from each side. […]
Exactly 20 years ago today, the very first European-wide strike was organized. In all Renault plants workers suspended work for one hour in protest against the closure of the Vilvoorde factory. This gesture of transnational solidarity was made possible thanks to a then recent piece of experimental European legislation called ‘European Works Councils’ (EWCs). But […]
The White Paper by Jean-Claude Juncker on 1 March 2017 is a poor answer to the crisis of the European Union. In response, I am proposing that parties and movements committed to internationalism and social justice offer the following alternative to the five options Juncker outlines. I am throwing it out as a draft for discussion among […]
Is a new alliance between Denmark’s Social Democrats and the right-wing populist Danish People’s Party (DF) on the cards? And, if so, what does this say for Europe as a whole? We know what they agree not to do. They both say no to a lower rate of top tax; no to a flat housing […]
Most misunderstandings concerning basic income arise from exaggeration about what it can or ought to achieve. This is illustrated in reasonable points raised by Ruth Lister in a recent piece in a Compass series. For me, basic income addresses some fundamental problems in institutional design. Tackling those problems will make a contribution towards solving a range of contemporary […]
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s recent call for voters to think again about leaving the European Union, echoed in parliamentary debates ahead of the government’s official launch of the process in March, is an Emperor’s New Clothes moment. Although Blair is now an unpopular figure, his voice, like that of the child in Hans Christian Andersen’s […]
The concept of an unconditional basic income is becoming increasingly popular among economists, managers, activists and entrepreneurs as an alternative to traditional social policy. Instead of providing social benefits in an emergency, for unemployment or old age, the government would pay every adult the same lump sum in the future – around 1,000-1,200 euros a […]
The growth in average (nominal) pay of employees has accelerated in recent years in EU countries after a slump following the economic crisis (AMECO data). Similar developments show up in data on collectively agreed wages. However, higher wage growth figures do not automatically mean that all employees benefit equally. On 14 February 2017, the European […]
