Social dialogue: still a fuzzy conversation
The European Commission remains ambivalent on involvement of the social partners in political decision-making.
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.
Road transport in Europe: drivers from third countries
Transport of goods is the new slave-producing machine in Europe—a powerful tool for social dumping.
Contraception inequality in Europe is widening
Acccording to the 2023 Contraception Policy Atlas, access to birth control in parts of Europe is worsening.
Green subsidies: what about the global south?
The new green race between the United States and the European Union threatens to leave developing countries behind.
Protecting health workers from hazardous products
There is more clarity about hazardous medicinal products but awareness still needs to be raised to protect workers.
EU social agenda beyond 2024—no time to waste
As a high-level group on social protection and welfare reports, Belgium’s social-affairs minister advances the next EU social agenda.
Europe’s stars must shine for artists and creatives
A Spanish decree to provide more security for artists and other cultural workers should accelerate EU-level action.
Europe’s industry and the ecological transition
Tackling deindustrialisation and degradation requires not a technological fix but a political alternative.
Ukraine war: attitudes changing to women soldiers
Attitudes to women in the Ukrainian military are changing as thousands serve on the front lines.
Europe’s energy transition starts to speed up
When Russia invaded Ukraine, many feared Europe’s green-energy transition would be collateral damage. Far from it.
Setting standards for national equality bodies
Advancing gender equality in the EU depends on strong equality bodies in the member states.
Flooded Pakistan, symbol of climate injustice
The $9 billion promised to Pakistan is only a sticking plaster until the west acknowledges the dire climate legacy in south Asia.
Homelessness among asylum-seekers in Brussels
The ‘securitisation’ of migration and asylum has not only meant drownings in the Mediterranean but also destitution in Europe’s cities.
Towards a permanent EU investment fund
Meeting the EU’s climate and energy goals will mean ramping up public investment via a permanent fund.
Embedding sustainability in a government programme
Sustainable development is a global task largely to be delivered by national governments. What can they learn from the leader—Finland?
Social dialogue must be at the heart of Europe’s future
This week the European Commission will publish a proposal to revivify social dialogue. It must be more than words.
Labour conflicts in the digital age
Digitalisation is not technologically determined but socially shaped—including by new forms of collective action.