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The End of Progess? The Dire Consequences of Trump’s Return

Joseph Stiglitz

Trump’s second presidency could derail progress, dismantle Enlightenment values, and reshape global politics for the worse.

EU Minimum Wage Directive Before the European Court of Justice: It’s Not All Over Now…

Thorsten Schulten and Torsten Müller

EU’s minimum wage directive is under threat.

Why Populists Are Winning: The Broken Promise of Liberal Democracy

Jan Zielonka

As democracy falters, voters turn to populists. Can innovation save democracy from its outdated frameworks?

An American Catastrophe

Jan T. Gross

Trump’s second term will devastate democracy, erode global norms, and deepen the consequences of America’s collective folly.

Populists Are Taking Over—Here’s Why Democracy Is Failing

Mark Blyth

Dissatisfied voters and outdated systems fuel populism’s rise. Can bold reforms restore trust in liberal democracy?

A Changing Europe: Strategic Autonomy and Security in 2025 and Beyond

Almut Möller

Strategic autonomy, internal divisions, and external threats: Can the EU adapt and lead in an era of profound change?

Britain’s Brexit reality check: Why the majority now want back in

Polly Toynbee

Every UK poll now shows a majority longing to rejoin the EU – but can Britain overcome its Brexit scars?

How to break Europe’s innovation stasis

Luc Soete

The new EU Commission must confront fragmented policies, revitalise competitiveness, and integrate security into its growth strategy.

Europe’s education gamble: Can the EU compete in a changing world?

Jo Ritzen and Job Zomerplaag

Can Europe’s education and skills agenda tackle declining outcomes and innovation gaps to ensure competitiveness and cohesion?

Europe’s Challenge in a New Era of Shift and Shock

Brigid Laffan

The EU faces immense geopolitical and economic challenges in a multipolar world.

Belgian workers against austerity and for social justice

Marie-Hélène Ska

Today, on 13th of January 2025, Belgian trade unions demonstrate in Brussels against austerity measures.

Britain at a Crossroads: financial turmoil meets political threats

Paul Mason

Keir Starmer’s government finds itself on the frontline of a global power struggle.

How Europe’s fiscal rules are strangling growth

Paul De Grauwe

The 2024 Stability and Growth Pact reforms entrench austerity and stifle investment.

Fifty years supporting better policies for a strong social Europe

Ivailo Kalfin

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Austria’s Far-Right Revival: How the ÖVP’s U-Turn is Paving the Way for Radical Leadership

Gabriela Greilinger

The Austrian far-right FPÖ’s likely return to government raises concerns about the erosion of liberal democracy.

The capacity to ‘compete’—rethinking the welfare state

Anton Hemerijck, Azizjon Bagadirov and Robin Wilson

Rather than a ‘burden on the taxpayer’, the welfare state should be understood in normative terms as productive social investment.

Glimmers of global progress in a crumbling world

Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona

Amid crises, breakthroughs at the G20 and UN offer hope for global cooperation and fairness.

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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

Read the book "The open future and its enemies" 

A robust democracy must not leave the future in the hands of the alliance between Big Tech and the far right. AI must be politically reined in and democratically shaped so that humanity retains its sovereignty.

Artificial intelligence is regarded as the driving force of progress. Yet it has long since become a challenge to democracy. The book argues that uncontrolled AI will erode our freedom, self-determination and democracy.

READ THE BOOK
Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2026

Minimum wage policy across Europe has shifted significantly, with many EU countries raising wages above average and anchoring them to adequate living standards. This trend is consolidating as countries increasingly adopt the reference values recommended in the European Minimum Wage Directive — recently upheld by the European Court of Justice.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
S&D Group in the European Parliament Advertisement

S&D Africa Days 2026

We are pleased to invite you to save the date for the S&D Africa Days 2026, taking place on 30 June and 1 July 2026, in Brussels. 

At a time when Africa is too often viewed through narrow and one-sided narratives, this initiative reflects a key political priority for the S&D Group: to advance a renewed, forward-looking partnership of equals between Europe and Africa based on equality, solidarity, social justice and shared progress. 

MORE INFO
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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