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Man looking at a collage of European and US flags and cityscapes.

Europe’s Businesses Face a Quiet Takeover as US Investors Capitalise

Tej Gonza and Timothée Duverger

American investors are increasingly acquiring European companies, prompting calls for new ownership models to protect economic sovereignty.

Abstract man walking through torn paper wall, Social Europe.

Portugal’s Political Earthquake: Centrist Grip Crumbles, Right Ascends

Emanuel Ferreira

A seismic shift in Portugal's 2025 elections reflects a broader Western trend: the erosion of centrist dominance and the rise of populist forces.

Graduates in caps and gowns walking towards a government building, social policy context.

“The Universities Are the Enemy”: Why Europe Must Act Now

Bartosz Rydlinski

The EU should welcome US scholars fleeing Trump’s assault on academia—and lead in global innovation and freedom.

Young person reading in London, Big Ben in background.

Britain’s COVID Generation: Why Social Democracy Must Seize the Moment

Jatinder Hayre

COVID spotlighted inequality. Europe must act—or lose a generation to austerity’s long shadow and policy neglect.

Donald Trump — author portrait, Social Europe.

Trump’s ‘Golden Era’ Fades as European Allies Face Harsh New Reality

Ferenc Németh and Peter Kreko

Once optimistic, key European leaders who backed Donald Trump now face stinging tariffs and a new, uncompromising Washington.

Two climbers on mountain peaks with data charts and large red circle.

Closing the Chasm: Central and Eastern Europe’s Continued Minimum Wage Climb

Carlos Vacas-Soriano and Christine Aumayr-Pintar

Minimum wages in Central and Eastern Europe continue to rise.

Two people walking in London with Big Ben in the background.

Ending Britain’s “Brief Encounter” with Brexit

Stefan Stern

A romantic Brexit reset? UK and EU edge closer to ending their brief but painful post-referendum encounter.

Donald Trump — author portrait, Social Europe.

The Future of American Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye

Soft power helped America lead the world. Trump’s wrecking ball diplomacy risks handing that role to China.

Donald Trump — author portrait, Social Europe.

Trump Can’t Kill the Boom: Why the US Economy Will Roar Despite Him

Nouriel Roubini

Markets, innovation, and AI are overpowering Trump’s chaos—and pushing America toward 4% growth, recession or not.

Collage of European landmarks and political figures, abstract style.

How the Billionaire Boom Is Fueling Inequality—and Threatening Democracy

Fernanda Balata and Sebastian Mang

As wealth concentrates at the top, Europe must act now to defend democracy and economic stability for all.

Night scene with Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty, colourful sky.

Why Europe Needs Its Own AI Infrastructure

Diane Coyle

Trump’s return highlights why Europe must build its own AI ecosystem—secure, competitive, and true to its values.

Abstract art of a woman's face with clouds and stars, Social Europe.

Europe Day with New Dimensions

László Andor and Udo Bullmann

Transatlantic Tensions Demand A New Geoeconomic Strategy For Europe.

Close-up of a person's face with European Union flag elements.

How Europe’s Political Parties Abandoned Openness—and Left Populism to Fill the Void

Colin Crouch

Western parties stopped defending openness decades ago—now populists dominate a fight no one else dares to enter.

Illustration of a man running with EU flag and coins, social policy theme.

Funding the Future: Why the EU Needs a Bold New Budget

Carla Tavares

As the current long-term budget nears its end, the European Parliament is laying down its demands for a more ambitious financial framework to tackle mounting challenges.

Night scene with a church, stars, and a person walking.

The European Union’s Road to Abundance

Pietro Valetto

Why Europe must embrace an “abundance agenda” to deliver results, restore trust, and counter rising populism.

Urban landscape with human figures, trees, and a large face profile, in a mixed media style.

How Sweden’s Welfare Experiment Became a Warning to Europe

Lisa Pelling

Sweden pioneered welfare privatisation, and its controversial model is now being exported across the continent.

Silhouette of a person's head with barbed wire and figures in the background.

The Shadow of Unfreedom: A New Authoritarianism Grips the Globe

Robert Misik

A harsh, right-wing authoritarianism is rising, casting a shadow of unfreedom as classic conservatism fades.

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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
Eurofound Advertisement

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
FEPS Advertisement

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
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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