Making labour law fit for all those who labour
EU anti-discrimination law applies to all ‘personal work’—not just employment contracts—the Court of Justice has ruled.
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.
Visentini, ‘Fight Impunity’, the ITUC and Qatar
With the ITUC General Council due to meet tomorrow, answers are urgently needed to the deeper issues raised by this affair.
An annual check-up for the climate movement
The world made some progress in 2022 on climate change and protecting nature but entrenched interests remain to be overcome.
‘Gaslighting’ Europe on fossil fuels
Documents from the International Gas Union have revealed the strategy of disinformation pursued by the powerful lobby.
Legal challenges by NGOs, citizens key to climate battle
Strong climate governance means holding governments to account. The EU institutions have shied away from doing so.
Biodiversity: the EU and the race against time
The EU’s Nature Restoration Law must implement key COP15 outcomes on biodiversity—in very short order.
Defending women’s rights in a broken justice system
The right to a fair trial is no longer guaranteed in Poland, say the activists protesting against strict abortion laws.
Avoiding ‘carbon leakage’—adjustments needed
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is ecologically justified but difficult to implement.
Europe-wide inequality during the pandemic
The pandemic increased inequality between member states but Europe-wide inequality has continued to decline, if more slowly.
Citizens need clarity on Europe’s challenges
A cocktail of insecurity, misinformation and mistrust imperil Europe’s future. Reliable, accessible data are at a premium.
Health and care workers have had enough
Workers from across Europe descended on Brussels to demand adequate investment in health and social care.
Exclusion of women could end up costing our planet
COP27 in Egypt was massively dominated by male leaders. Yet African women are key agents in battling climate change.
Making women with disabilities visible
Unemployed, underpaid, excluded—women with disabilities remain invisible in social policies related to employment.
Accessibility can improve everyone’s lives
In a digitalised world, accessibility is ever more at a premium for the visually impaired—who should be involved in finding solutions.
Killing Twitter
Elon Musk claims he bought the platform to 'help humanity' by investing in a public good—the world’s digital town square. But the people, not the pavement, make the town square.
Injustice is fuelling Europe’s energy crisis
Europe needs to shift from a system locked into climate-wrecking fuels, extractivism and autocracies—towards ‘energy justice’.
Europe’s 2050 mission to a future-fit economy
The step up to a sustainable economy is steep, but it is achievable with political leadership and unshackled public investment.