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Sir Keir Starmer Wants Growth—Perhaps He Should Learn Spanish

Denis MacShane

Spain's socialist government has delivered economic growth three times faster than Britain's; Labour would do well to study how.

The UK-EU Reset Needs Strategic Planning, Not Summit Improvisation

Jannike Wachowiak

Without careful preparation and raised ambitions, the 2026 summit risks becoming a missed opportunity to inject real momentum into UK-EU relations.

Brazil in the Labyrinth: State, Democracy and Inequality

Francisco Gaetani

As Brazil approaches crucial elections, the country must confront deep structural challenges that have undermined democratic progress for decades.

Why Europe Should Be Serious About Transparency on Pay

Marianna Baggio and Christine Aumayr-Pintar

The EU's Pay Transparency Directive offers a powerful tool for equality, but only if member states implement it with rigour and ambition.

Europe’s Industrial Crisis: Invest Now or Accept Decline

Judith Kirton-Darling and Isabelle Barthès

Across 18 sectors, only aerospace and defence remain globally competitive—Europe must abandon naivety and act decisively.

Trump’s Ukraine Deal Is the Wrong Way to Peace in Ukraine

Timothy Snyder

Timothy Snyder thinks the proposed settlement negotiated by Russia and the US would make the world far more dangerous.

France’s Democratic Malaise: Stop Blaming Citizens, Start Reforming Institutions

Nonna Mayer and Frédéric Gonthier

When eight in ten French citizens feel unrepresented, the problem lies not with democratic fatigue but with a political system that has forgotten how to listen.

Europe Must Abandon Appeasement and Confront Trump’s Hostile America

Guillaume Duval

The failure of European leaders' strategy of accommodation proves that Trump's United States has become an adversary, not an ally, demanding a fundamental shift in EU policy.

The Geopolitics of Knowledge: Why Europe Must Reinvest in Its Universities

Manuel Muñiz

To compete in the twenty-first century's knowledge economy, Europe must transform its higher education system into a strategic powerhouse.

Europe’s Eco-Social Union: The Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s Great Transformation

Bea Cantillon

As climate ambitions falter, Europe's unique framework for linking social and ecological goals may prove more resilient—and revolutionary—than it appears.

Gavel crashing onto broken pavement symbolising legal or judicial disturbance.

After Landmark EU Court Judgement: The EU Minimum Wages Directive Is Alive and Kicking

Torsten Müller and Thorsten Schulten

The landmark ruling validates the directive's approach to adequate wages and collective bargaining, dealing only minor setbacks to its implementation across Europe.

A large crowd of diverse people with a prominent figure casting a shadow against a bright yellow background.

Domination Without Order: How Libertarianism Betrays the Freedom of the Other

Justus Seuferle

The libertarian promise of freedom masks a darker reality: absolute liberation for the few means domination for the many.

Social europe protest climate change demonstration images.

Belgium’s Workers Rise Against Austerity as Government Doubles Down on Cuts

Marie-Hélène Ska

Historic protests and escalating strikes challenge a coalition determined to slash social protections while boosting corporate subsidies.

Europe’s Green Deal: An Economic Imperative, Not a Burden

Peter Hennicke and Anders Wijkman

Abandoning climate ambition would forfeit Europe's competitive advantage in the trillion-euro green technology market.

Time to Move Forward So We Don’t Go Back

Enma Lopez

In a world gripped by far-right populism, Spain's progressive government proves that advancing the welfare state—not merely defending it—is the best vaccine against reactionary politics.

Are We Humans or Homo Economicus? Why Economics Needs to Evolve Beyond Growth

Kate Pickett

Economics assumes we behave like chimps, but humans are far more cooperative—and our economic models must catch up.

Europe’s Digital Welfare Revolution: Progress at What Price?

Hans Dubois

As Europe races to digitalise its social protection systems, the promise of efficiency collides with the reality of exclusion—creating a paradox where the most vulnerable risk being left furthest behind.

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S&D Group in the European Parliament Advertisement

S&D Housing Storytelling

Europeans are struggling with rising housing and rental costs, and we have been working in various ways to address this, because we believe a home is a right for everyone.
 Recently, we travelled across Europe to hear directly from people who struggle to afford a decent place to live. They shared a glimpse of how the housing crisis has affected their lives and why having a home is so important to them. Take a moment to check out their stories. They remind us why it is so urgent to act.

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New Edition - Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2025

Can Europe preserve its distinctive social model while simultaneously rearming, reindustrialising, and reorganising its economy in a more conflictual and competitive world? This is the central question raised in this new edition of the Bilan social, a reference publication released every spring for more than 25 years by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the European Social Observatory (OSE).

READ HERE
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Is financial resilience and trust in Europe faltering?

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, host Mary McCaughey and senior researcher Eszter Sandor unpack the results of the 2025 Living and Working in the EU e-survey. While headline inflation has stabilised at 2.1%, the data reveals a continent gripped by chronic precariousness, with 57% of respondents now at risk of depression. Mary and Eszter explore how this economic insecurity is impacting institutional trust and democratic engagement.

LISTEN HERE
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The Summer issue of The Progressive Post is out! 

The EU is belatedly awakening to a changing Mediterranean sea, where more assertive regional powers are reclaiming a role.

The new issue of the magazine also reflects on how we struggle to keep pace with AI innovations, examines the uncertainties surrounding the execution of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the risk to human rights posed by the Return Regulation, and focuses on the EU Commission's newly proposed Industrial Accelerator Act.

READ THE MAGAZINE
Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

Climate policy measures are often met with feelings of powerlessness and disempowerment, triggering fears and resentment. This blog series asks: What does a socially just climate transition look like? How can we create acceptance for just climate policies? 

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FES Advertisement

“What is the actual purpose of the state?” – this central question is the focus of the analysis. At a time when bureaucratic processes are making life difficult for citizens, the paper proposes a three-part model. It aims at a conception of the state as a platform that helps society build the capabilities it needs to address its problems effectively.

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