2024: a year that will decide the future
The European Green Deal faces a fork in the road—between the politics of hope and the politics of fear—as the June elections loom.
Society
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 societal issues, offering a rich resource for innovative thinking and informed debate.
Sharp energy-price shock met fuzzy responses
National measures adopted amid the energy crisis missed the opportunity to pursue social and climate goals.
Learning mobility: making it the norm in the EU
Even if ambitious 2030 targets were attained, Sofia Fernandes writes, learning mobility would still be a minority privilege.
‘Building back better’ needs green construction
Pursuing energy efficiency will generate more construction jobs—but that requires tackling labour shortages and skills mismatches.
Time for a job guarantee in Europe?
A job guarantee could end long spells of joblessness for millions in the EU and send a pre-election signal that a ‘social Europe’ is possible.
Just a matter of time? The ‘right to disconnect’
Achieving the right to disconnect is becoming a test case of the European Union’s commitment to social dialogue.
European citizenship education—antidote to hate
Unified citizenship education is a must to stop democratic backsliding in the European Union.
Healthcare depends on the health of social dialogue
As pressures grow on Europe’s hospitals, lessons must be learned from social dialogue during the pandemic.
The renewable answer to Europe’s fossil-fuel inflation
Fossil-energy prices have played a big role in the cost-of-living crisis—and renewables are a big part of the solution.
Energy transition: more ambition needed from EU27
The climate blueprints from EU member states are inadequate—and would forgo major socio-economic benefits.
Tackling the scourge of racism across the EU
The latest survey by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights shows racism is pervasive and persistent.
Media freedom: Europe’s media cannot be half-free
EU member states must not water down critical legislation protecting media independence and pluralism.
Unfreezing the frames: media diversity in Europe
Europe’s media need to be more diverse, Ankita Anand writes, to reflect accurately the world on which they report.
Worldwide strikes, protests—making Amazon pay
The monopoly online retailer has extracted vast rents from workers and citizens who are raising their voices globally.
For equality and the climate, a European wealth tax
The richest 10 per cent of Europeans are responsible for the same carbon emissions as the poorer half of the population.
Green jobs: from challenge to opportunity
Greening our economies offers a unique opportunity to improve job quality in Europe. Justice for workers should be at the core.