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EU carbon border tax could hurt developing countries

Miriam González Durántez and Calli Obern

Europe should mitigate the protectionist threat in its climate agenda.

Ensuring adequate minimum wages in an age of inflation

Carlos Vacas-Soriano and Christine Aumayr-Pintar

Minimum wages have risen across Europe this year. Inflation is eroding them.

China to the rescue?

Branko Milanovic

Who could soften the apocalyptic effects of the war in Ukraine on the global south? China could, says Branko Milanovic.

Public services should not be the victims of inflation

Irene Ovonji-Odida

On UN Public Service Day, many public-service workers and the services they provide remain needlessly impoverished.

Let’s count what really matters

Jayati Ghosh

Tracking four alternative economic indicators would provide a very different view of comparative performance than GDP.

Ukraine and the geopolitics of the energy transition

Béla Galgóczi and Paolo Tomassetti

The worst scenario of an ‘unjust transition’ has hoved into view with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But another Europe is possible.

From subsidising energy to reducing dependence

Hans Dubois

The only answer to energy price inflation is to reduce energy needs and dependence on fossil fuels, prioritising those on low incomes.

A social-democratic decade ahead?

Robert Misik

Now Austria's SPÖ too has left its competitors far behind, Robert Misik asks: is the Zeitgeist moving to the left?

Why we are on Brussels’ streets

Marie-Hélène Ska, Miranda Ulens and Olivier Valentin

Tens of thousands of Belgian workers today demand better wages and purchasing power.

Working from a distance: remote or removed?

Nicola Countouris and Valerio De Stefano

Remote work will outlast the pandemic. But workers must be inoculated against the risks.

Blindspots in free movement lead to homelessness

Simona Barbu and Sergio Pérez Barranco

Mobile EU citizens can fall through national safety nets.

The urgent need for a post-growth society

Dominique Méda

Converting to an economy based on need rather than accumulation is not just an ecological imperative but a social desideratum.

Von der Leyen is losing ground

Daniel Freund

If the European Union does not stand up for the rule of law in Poland and Hungary, it will embolden authoritarians everywhere.

Boris Johnson: blustering on

Paul Mason

The grandiose promises Johnson makes to survive, Paul Mason writes, rely on a state like those ... in the European Union.

Why countries should scrap the Energy Charter Treaty

Rachel Thrasher

The treaty stands in the way of signatories implementing the IEA’s exhortation to stop investing in fossil fuels.

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Growth and employment monitor

Based on recent research – notably from the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), this Special Brief outlines key evidence on the economic, employment and social situation in the EU and actions needed to reinforce the EU by ensuring “Investment for a vibrant European economy and quality jobs”

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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.
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Read the book "The Great Unravelling"

The book "The Great Unravelling", edited by Patrick Diamond and Ania Skrzypek, delves into the impact of growing economic interdependence, free trade and technological change, which has led to new forms of political polarisation that seek to capitalise on and exploit the resentments fuelled by the rise of globalisation.
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WSI Report

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.

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Social Europe

The European Employment and Social Rights Forum was back in Brussels and online on 3-4 March 2026

This year’s edition addressed the EU’s response to the challenges many people face today: the rising cost of living, job insecurity, and changes in the labour market. Opinion leaders, policymakers, businesses, academics and civil society are invited to explore bold ideas to support Europe’s greatest strength: its people.

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