Sweden: a social model losing its sheen
Sweden’s much-lauded model of prosperity and social comfort is threatened by a lack of public investment.
Society
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 societal issues, offering a rich resource for innovative thinking and informed debate.
Equality for persons with disabilities on the move
The European Commission has put its disability cards on the table but it is not a full hand.
Energy union: including the public imperative
Pursuit of industrial competitiveness and renewable technologies must avoid a backlash from disengaged citizens.
A fairer energy system with energy communities
Energy communities, fostering decentralised, renewable supply, need support with their additional social responsibilities.
Overcrowded camps at Europe’s borders
Gemma Bird and Ella Dodd
Before last May’s election in Greece, the returning prime minister claimed his ‘firm but fair’ policy on people movement worked. Far from it.
Backtracking on a green and just transition?
The Granada declaration will signal whether Europe’s leaders can rise to the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises.
G7 versus the BRICS: taking stock in 12 figures
Can China and Russia offer an alternative social model to the universal norms they reject? The evidence says no.
Powering up: the EU and solar energy
A new approach is needed towards the photovoltaic industry in Europe.
Sweden’s climate policy—off the rails
A government beholden to the radical right, Lisa Pelling writes, is a warning to Europe the green transition can go into reverse.
Prostitution is not a free choice for women
The feminist goal is abolition of prostitution—not acceptance of it and mere defence of ‘sex workers’.
Vienna social-housing model: celebrated but misused
The ‘Vienna model’ has been distorted to embrace private investment but its real redefinition should be ecological.
Which comes first—Big Toxics’ profits or health?
Stricter European Union regulation of toxic chemicals is being jeopardised by corporate lobbying.
Fostering public research or boosting Big Tech?
The European Health Data Space should serve patients and healthcare workers, not private profit.
The case for a European prize for art
Europeans are living through an extraordinary historical moment. Great contemporary works of art help them grasp it.
Job quality: a sine qua non, not just nice to have
Elevating job quality by resourcing workers better is pivotal to addressing today’s workplace and societal challenges.