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Berlin skyline with clouds, hot air balloon and colourful abstract shapes.

Navigating Uncertainty: Germany’s SPD Grapples with Its Future

Robert Misik

Despite securing key ministries and policy successes, Germany’s Social Democrats face internal disarray and a fractured vision at their upcoming party conference.

Statue of Liberty — symbolic image for social and political themes.

The War on the Liberal Class

David Klion

Liberalism’s core class is under siege—can the liberal order survive the global backlash against its institutional power?

Protesters with raised fists and German flag, Berlin.

The Future of Social Democracy: How the German SPD can Win Again

Henning Meyer

Social democracy can’t survive without vision. The SPD must rediscover its purpose and emotional power.

Donald Trump — author portrait, Social Europe.

How Trump’s Tariff Regime Fuels Global Oligarchy

Gabriel Zucman

Trump’s radical tax vision could dismantle the IRS, reshape global inequality—and fuel a new economic war.

Cityscape with historic and modern buildings, colourful sky, and clouds.

Universities Under Siege: A Global Reckoning for Higher Education

Manuel Muñiz

Governments worldwide are dramatically reshaping higher education, challenging long-held models and academic autonomy.

Group of migrants walking with luggage, abstract background, Social Europe.

How Trade Unions Can Champion Solidarity in Europe’s Migration Debate

Neva Löw

As migration policy reaches a crucial juncture, trade unions in Europe are challenged to expand solidarity-based strategies amidst intensifying crackdowns.

Donald Trump — author portrait, Social Europe.

The Weak Strongman: How Trump’s Presidency Emboldens America’s Enemies

Timothy Snyder

Trump performs strength at home—but abroad, adversaries see only institutional collapse and strategic weakness.

People casting votes at a polling station, Social Europe.

Ballots or Bans: How Should Democracies Respond to Extremists?

Katharina Pistor

As extremists exploit democracy’s freedoms, should constitutions strike back—or always leave judgment to the ballot box?

Cityscape with wind turbines, green buildings, and trees, illustrating sustainable urban development.

Mind the Gap: Can Europe Afford Its Green and Digital Future?

Viktor Skyrman

Amid vast investment shortfalls, the European Union must rethink its funding strategy to achieve its ambitious goals.

Coastal landscape with trees, houses, and a cloudy sky, Social Europe.

Finland’s Austerity Gamble: Tax Cuts for the Rich, Pain for the Poor

Jussi Systä

A right-wing government's fiscal policies, sold as a path to sustainability, appear to favour corporations and the wealthy, while the working majority face harsh cuts.

Open-plan office with diverse workers, Social Europe.

The Enduring Appeal of the Hybrid Workplace

Jorge Cabrita

For some workers, the future of work is not fully remote, nor fully in the office. It is, increasingly, a clever combination of both.

A person walking between large EU flags and money symbols.

Europe’s Euro Ambition: A Risky Bid for “Exorbitant Privilege”

Peter Bofinger

Christine Lagarde seeks a greater international role for the euro, but Europe's economic realities present a complex challenge.

Professor reading at desk, Social Europe.

Trump’s Attacks on Academia: Is the U.S. University System Itself to Blame?

Bo Rothstein

Amid Donald Trump's hostility towards universities the question remains: how did the US leading scholars lose trust?

Person working on a laptop surrounded by digital and printed documents.

Shaping the Future of Digital Work: A Bold Proposal for Platform Worker Rights

Valerio De Stefano

A new draft convention proposes to establish a comprehensive rights and protections for platform workers globally.

Diverse people working and relaxing in a café, with cats present.

Europe Must Adapt to Its Ageing Workforce

Franz Eiffe and Karel Fric

As the continent's birth rates decline and its population ages, policymakers face the urgent task of retaining experienced workers and adapting workplaces.

Protesters with flags in a demonstration, Social Europe.

Poland’s Polarised Election Signals a Wider Crisis for Liberal Democracy

Catherine De Vries

A razor-thin victory for the national-conservative Law and Justice Party reveals deep societal divisions and a broader erosion of centrist coalitions across the West.

Abstract artwork with red and white colours and a solitary figure.

Poland’s War Against Itself

Sławomir Sierakowski

A shocking upset hands Poland’s presidency to a far-right populist with a scandal-ridden past and extremist allies.

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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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ETUI Advertisement

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
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WSI Industrial Action Report 2025 cover page with red and white design.

The 2025 collective bargaining year in Germany was once again characterised by numerous strikes. The WSI recorded 261 industrial disputes in 2025. For the first time, the WSI has also quantitatively analysed the trade unions` industrial action objectives for 2025.

READ THE REPORT
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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