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Politics

Social Europe is an award-winning digital media publisher driven by the core values of freedom, sustainability, and equality. These principles guide our exploration of society’s most pressing challenges. This archive page curates Social Europe articles focused on political issues, offering a rich resource for innovative thinking and informed debate.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

America’s Loss Will Not Be Europe’s Gain

Hans Kundnani

Europeans are torn between fearing the vulnerabilities of American decline and seeing in it a chance to assert their own autonomy.

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Is Europe’s mental health still in crisis?

New Eurofound research reveals a complex picture of mental health in Europe post-pandemic. While some factors show improvement, concerning trends persist, including an alarming halt to the decades-long decline in suicide rates. A new episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast explores these issues, highlighting that vulnerable groups are being disproportionately affected. It also discusses how significant barriers to mental healthcare—such as stigma and long waiting lists—are leaving many without vital support.
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Spring Issues

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Despite growing awareness of its impact on all our lives, mental health has yet to gain the momentum it deserves in EU policymaking. The latest EU budget and Commission mandate still fall short on policy work on mental health that reflects progressive values - including gender mainstreaming.
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WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the European Minimum Wage Directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage.

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Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

Cohesion Policy seeks to foster balanced development and reduce economic, social, and territorial disparities, focusing on rural areas, regions in industrial transition, and those with severe or permanent natural or demographic disadvantages, including outermost, sparsely populated, island, cross-border, and mountain regions.

READ THE PAPER HERE

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Cohesion Policy


In a context of growing direct employee voice in workplace innovation processes, the BroadVoice project explored how worker representatives and industrial relations can play a role in these dynamics. Based on a two-year study in 24 workplaces across six European countries, this comparative report, edited by Vassil Kirov (IPS-BAS) and Ilaria Armaroli (ADAPT), highlights the evolving contours of workplace democracy shaped by the involvement of worker representation in employee-driven innovation.

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HESA Magazine Cover

Back to school with HesaMag 30: the leading European magazine on occupational safety and health explores teachers’ deteriorating working conditions. With field reporting, expert voices and trade union analysis, plus insights into EU policy shifts, discover why teachers’ health is key to our future.

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