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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.

What to expect from Trump 2.0?

Simon Johnson

Trump’s return promises bold rhetoric but faces stark economic and global challenges.

Europe’s existential test: Navigating Putin, Trump, and the Global South

Guillaume Duval

How the EU must act to survive mounting global threats.

Why DOGE and Musk will fail

Laura Tyson

Elon Musk’s bid to “reinvent” government through Trump’s advisory DOGE commission will likely be a meme-worthy spectacle.

Climate change adaptation means rights for workers

Marouane Laabbas-el-Guennouni and Kalina Arabadjieva

Spain's new labour measures could set the perfect precedent for protecting workers.

Why the centre-left has to remake democracy

Daron Acemoglu

Democrats must offer more than opposition—they need a bold vision for economic and political renewal.

Limited options to change employers keep wages low

Wouter Zwysen

Concentrated labour markets and non-compete agreements erode worker bargaining power.

Progressives Under Pressure: Confronting the Gradual Rise of Authoritarianism

Robert Misik

Progressives face the urgent challenge of defending democracy without reinforcing the very divisions that fuel its decline.

The vanishing act of Social Europe: Will it rise again?

Dominic Afscharian

Grand promises of a “strong social Europe” have given way to a sidelined agenda.

Industrial Policy: Key to Europe’s Role in a Shifting World Order

Karl Aiginger

Europe can assume a greater role, but must uphold its ambitions and forge new partnerships.

Can Europe overcome the radical right to forge a new path?

Catherine De Vries

The EU faces mounting pressure to address economic, security, and climate challenges.

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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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