Spain’s labour reform: less transience, more balance
While still subject to political negotiations, the labour-market reform agreed by Spain’s social partners should bring more security.
Germany’s reliance on its healthcare ‘brown angels’
The recruitment of nurses to meet shortages in the global north has side-effects—not all good—on their countries of origin.
Online surveillance thrives when fear takes over
European law-enforcement agencies have been pushing to end encryption and survey everyone’s online communications.
European Green Deal: can it tackle the climate crisis?
Satoko Kishimoto and Louisa Valentin
Public-private partnerships must be replaced by public-community collaborations for wellbeing and the climate.
Higher public debt = lower growth?
The pandemic-induced crisis has seen fiscal policy relaxed. Ill-evidenced orthodoxy must not be allowed to reinstate austerity.
Digitalisation and telework—the ‘new normal’?
New working arrangements could hold out more self-determination for workers. Too often they have meant more stress.
High-speed rail along a ‘European silk road’
Katharina Weber, Maximilian Zangl and Mario Holzner
The Recovery and Resilience Facility aims to finance national projects. Yet a pan-European rail network could yield big emissions cuts.
Regulate, but build too: for a European digital sphere
Alek Tarkowski and Paul Keller
The EU should not just clip the wings of the Californian corporations but help construct a European digital public sphere.
Value-based engineering vs the Silicon Valley Zeitgeist
A European digital public sphere has to be engineered—but that doesn’t mean pursuing an AI dystopia or creating a European Facebook.
The virus antidote: political leadership, progressive government, public services
With still fewer than 50 fatalities, there is much to learn from how New Zealand’s Labour government has handled the pandemic.
A tale of loss and hope: what can we learn from Poland?
Poland’s ruling nationalists aren’t having it all their own way. The opposition needs more external recognition.
Towards transparency by design in the EU
Citizens must have access to information to engage with the democratic life of the union, the European ombudsman argues.
The ECB needs a better narrative
Giving the public impression that inflation is ‘too low’, Peter Bofinger writes, is not a good look for the bank.
EU strategic autonomy must mean fairer trade
If ‘strategic autonomy’ is to define the EU’s relation to the world, linked trade deals must not mean dependence for workers.
The dark side of the logistics boom
Dorien Frans and Nadja Dörflinger
Online shopping is simple and convenient for customers. But the logistics workforce may pay the price.