Doors closed, living on air
As Greece shows in extremis, the cultural sector is crying out for appropriate social policies.
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.
Climate accountability now
Major emitters must deliver on critical ‘climate justice’ issues, such as financing for vulnerable countries.
Building social Europe, winning public confidence
Laurent Berger, Reiner Hoffmann, Wolfgang Katzian, Marie-Hélène Ska, Pepe Álvarez, Jarkko Eloranta, Luigi Sbarra and Andrzej Radzikowski
Trade unions demand an ambitious directive on minimum wages and collective bargaining.
Europe’s utilities: net zero or not zero?
Europe’s largest energy companies are failing on their net-zero pledges.
A mental-health strategy for Europe
The broad social determinants of poor mental health demand a holistic approach.
The story versus the statistic
Kate Pickett ponders how social scientists can bring structural inequalities to light when media focus on individual lives.
Green taxonomy: traffic-light coalition flashes amber
The EU’s controversial proposal to label nuclear energy ‘green’ could jeopardise the future of the German coalition.
Building back greener?
The Recovery and Resilience Facility is important but will not mobilise sufficient green investment by itself.
EU cash floodgates open for nuclear and gas
There is no environmental, climate or economic reason to include nuclear and fossil gas in the EU investment taxonomy.
Framing the future of the internet
The European Parliament has just voted on the Digital Services Act, crucial for internet regulation.
Europe must reimagine its cultural policies
The EU has often been thought of as primarily a market-making mechanism. Yet it is above all a cultural project.
Social-ecological policy options: free green services
How to avoid ecological policies having adverse social effects? Make the associated services (partly) free.
‘Leaving no one behind’: putting words into actions
The climate transition and its social dimension demand more powerful instruments than the European Commission proposes.
Germany’s reliance on its healthcare ‘brown angels’
The recruitment of nurses to meet shortages in the global north has side-effects—not all good—on their countries of origin.
Online surveillance thrives when fear takes over
European law-enforcement agencies have been pushing to end encryption and survey everyone’s online communications.
European Green Deal: can it tackle the climate crisis?
Public-private partnerships must be replaced by public-community collaborations for wellbeing and the climate.