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Politics


Social Europe is an award-winning digital media publisher. We use the values of freedom, sustainability and equality as the foundation on which we examine society’s most pressing challenges. We are committed to publishing cutting-edge thinking and new ideas from the most thought-provoking people. This archive page brings together Social Europe articles on political issues.

The AI Act: deregulation in disguise

Aida Ponce Del Castillo 11th December 2023

The loopholes in the AI Act emerging from trilogue negotiations late on Friday could allow big corporations to slip through.

The idea of a liberal socialism

Bo Rothstein 11th December 2023

Liberalism and socialism have been wrongly counterposed. Connected, they represent a hegemonic alternative.

European constitutional reform hangs in the balance

Guido Montani 7th December 2023

The EU needs more coherent governance not just to accommodate its enlargement but to assume its global responsibilities.

Treaty changes for an EU that works for citizens

Gabriele Bischoff 7th December 2023

The European Parliament last month endorsed proposals for treaty changes which would trump nationalistic vetoes.

Investing in human security in Europe

Chiara Bonaiuti 6th December 2023

Public investment has been skewed towards the military in the last decade when a much wider array of threats are in evidence.

Barking up the wrong European tree

Jan Zielonka 4th December 2023

A multi-level Europe of networks, Jan Zielonka argues, is the flexible alternative to brittle clashes over ‘sovereignty’.

Vladimir Putin’s killer patriotism

Nina L Khrushcheva 28th November 2023

Last year’s ‘partial mobilisation’ triggered a backlash against the Kremlin and Putin is fearful of a repeat.

Geert Wilders and Dutch coalition prospects

Catherine De Vries 25th November 2023

The election victory in the Netherlands for the Party for Freedom fits into a wider picture of European radical-right populism.

Big Tech lobbying is derailing the AI Act

Bram Vranken 24th November 2023

Behind closed doors, the companies have fiercely lobbied the European Union to leave advanced artificial-intelligence systems unregulated.

Ukraine and Moldova to test new accession process

Nora Siklodi and Nándor Révész 21st November 2023

Ukraine and Moldova have taken a huge step towards European Union membership but hazards lie ahead.

Italy, Albania, asylum and ‘European values’

Lily Lynch 20th November 2023

Albania’s agreement to process offshore asylum-seekers heading for Italy, Lily Lynch writes, is not a good look.

Is Germany going authoritarian-left?

Flora Baumgartner 20th November 2023

Sahra Wagenknecht’s new party has a questionable support base and doubtful prospects—like others of its kind across Europe.

How the war in Ukraine has transformed the EU

Nathalie Tocci 15th November 2023

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a profound effect on the European Union, whose response is defining its trajectory.

Israel-Palestine: what kind of solidarity?

Frank Hoffer 14th November 2023

The imperative of solidarity is with all those Jews and Palestinians who seek the solution neither Hamas nor Netanyahu wants.

War in Gaza: the silence of Europe’s leaders

Zafiris Tzannatos 14th November 2023

The European Union must find a collective and distinctive voice to seek to rein in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

Social democracy in the global south at a crossroads

Marc Saxer 13th November 2023

Amid geoeconomic disruption and geopolitical competition, the alternatives are stark: democratic socialism or barbarism.

Big tent: the social-democratic election formula

László Andor 9th November 2023

A unity cemented by tolerance is needed for social-democratic success in the elections to the European Parliament.

A new world order: from warring states to citizens

Paul Mason 6th November 2023

It will take decades of intellectual effort, Paul Mason writes, before a new world order emerges from the cumulative chaos.

Germany and Ukraine: avoiding refugee tensions

Taras Romashchenko 6th November 2023

A potential conflict of national interests over Ukrainian refugees needs to be anticipated and pre-empted.

Beyond numbers: securing gender equality in politics

Meryl Kenny 27th October 2023

Most focus on women’s political participation has emphasised boosting its supply. But demand is the bigger problem.

The EU and the inevitability of immigration

Sergio Scandizzo 25th October 2023

Climate change and socio-economic trends will make large-scale migrations inevitable in the coming decades.

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ETUI advertisement

Response measures to the energy crisis: a missed opportunity to feed the socio-ecological contract

With winter coming and Europe ready to get through it without energy shortages, power cuts and recession, new research conducted by the ETUI in seven EU member states (AT-FR-DE-GR-IT-PL-ES) highlights that, with some 80 per cent of spending being directed to broad-based measures, short-term national government support during the recent energy crisis was poorly targeted. As a result, both social- and climate-policy goals were rather sidelined, with the biggest beneficiaries of public fossil-fuel subsidies being higher income groups and the wealthiest people.


AVAILABLE HERE

Eurofound advertisement

How will Europe’s green transition impact employment?

Climate-change objectives and decarbonisation measures are vital for the future of Europe. But how will these objectives affect employment and the labour market?

In the latest episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast series, Mary McCaughey speaks with the Eurofound senior research manager John Hurley about new research which shows a marginal increase in net employment from EU decarbonisation measures—but also potentially broad shifts in the labour market which could have a profound impact in several areas.


LISTEN HERE

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

New Progressive Post magazine available!

In this new edition of the Progressive Post, the Special Coverage looks at EU fiscal rules, particularly at the long-awaited proposal to reform EU fiscal governance which was presented by the European Commission in April. The plan aimed to address the shortcomings of the current framework, promote growth and sustainability and reduce high public debt ratios but it lacks ambition. It falls short of enabling the green and social transition, and lacks instruments to improve the democratic legitimacy and transparency of the decision-making process.

The Focus is dedicated to Turkey, a heavyweight of the European neighbourhood, an EU candidate country—but one with which the EU has a progressively deteriorating relationship. One Dossier looks at Latin America, whose nations are increasingly breaking free from the traditional alignment of their foreign policy with more powerful allies in the northern hemisphere. The other Dossier on progressive cities in Europe offers a range of examples from European cities where a transformation towards sustainability is currently taking place concretely and on the ground, thanks to the vision and ambition of progressive administrations.

Discover the Progressive Post website and stay tuned!


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Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI European Collective Bargaining Report 2022 / 2023

With real wages falling by 4 per cent in 2022, workers in the European Union suffered an unprecedented loss in purchasing power. The reason for this was the rapid increase in consumer prices, behind which nominal wage growth fell significantly. Meanwhile, inflation is no longer driven by energy import prices, but by domestic factors. The increased profit margins of companies are a major reason for persistent inflation. In this difficult environment, trade unions are faced with the challenge of securing real wages—and companies have the responsibility of making their contribution to returning to the path of political stability by reducing excess profits.


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Friedrich Ebert Stiftung advertisement

It‘s all about jobs: investing in Europe’s workers and qualifications for a competitive clean economy

An ecological miracle on the labour market? Or rather job losses? The impact on employment and job profiles in Europe of ecological modernisation is a question driving politics and society.

We have taken a close look at studies and forecasts on the development of the European labour market. One thing is clear: without qualified and motivated workers, the economy will not flourish and the modernisation process will come to a standstill. Europe must deliver on a massive scale in the coming years to remain at the forefront.

We spoke to trade unionists and experts: what trends do we need to shape, what risks do we need to avoid, what course do we need to set now? Key findings in this study from FES Just Climate.


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