Social Europe

Finland’s Austerity Gamble: Tax Cuts for the Rich, Pain for the Poor

A right-wing government’s fiscal policies, sold as a path to sustainability, appear to favour corporations and the wealthy, while the working majority face harsh cuts.

The Enduring Appeal of the Hybrid Workplace

For some workers, the future of work is not fully remote, nor fully in the office. It is, increasingly, a clever combination of both.

Europe’s Euro Ambition: A Risky Bid for “Exorbitant Privilege”

Christine Lagarde seeks a greater international role for the euro, but Europe’s economic realities present a complex challenge.

Trump’s Attacks on Academia: Is the U.S. University System Itself to Blame?

Amid Donald Trump’s hostility towards universities the question remains: how did the US leading scholars lose trust?

Shaping the Future of Digital Work: A Bold Proposal for Platform Worker Rights

Valerio De Stefano

A new draft convention proposes to establish a comprehensive rights and protections for platform workers globally.

Europe Must Adapt to Its Ageing Workforce

Franz Eiffe and Karel Fric

As the continent’s birth rates decline and its population ages, policymakers face the urgent task of retaining experienced workers and adapting workplaces.

Poland’s Polarised Election Signals a Wider Crisis for Liberal Democracy

Catherine De Vries

A razor-thin victory for the national-conservative Law and Justice Party reveals deep societal divisions and a broader erosion of centrist coalitions across the West.

Poland’s War Against Itself

Sławomir Sierakowski

A shocking upset hands Poland’s presidency to a far-right populist with a scandal-ridden past and extremist allies.

Europe’s Businesses Face a Quiet Takeover as US Investors Capitalise

Tej Gonza and Timothée Duverger

American investors are increasingly acquiring European companies, prompting calls for new ownership models to protect economic sovereignty.

Portugal’s Political Earthquake: Centrist Grip Crumbles, Right Ascends

Emanuel Ferreira

A seismic shift in Portugal’s 2025 elections reflects a broader Western trend: the erosion of centrist dominance and the rise of populist forces.

“The Universities Are the Enemy”: Why Europe Must Act Now

Bartosz Rydliński

The EU should welcome US scholars fleeing Trump’s assault on academia—and lead in global innovation and freedom.

Britain’s COVID Generation: Why Social Democracy Must Seize the Moment

COVID spotlighted inequality. Europe must act—or lose a generation to austerity’s long shadow and policy neglect.

Trump’s ‘Golden Era’ Fades as European Allies Face Harsh New Reality

Ferenc Németh and Peter Kreko

Once optimistic, key European leaders who backed Donald Trump now face stinging tariffs and a new, uncompromising Washington.

Closing the Chasm: Central and Eastern Europe’s Continued Minimum Wage Climb

Carlos Vacas-Soriano and Christine Aumayr-Pintar

Minimum wages in Central and Eastern Europe continue to rise.

Ending Britain’s “Brief Encounter” with Brexit

A romantic Brexit reset? UK and EU edge closer to ending their brief but painful post-referendum encounter.

The Future of American Soft Power

Soft power helped America lead the world. Trump’s wrecking ball diplomacy risks handing that role to China.

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

Cohesion Policy aims to promote harmonious development and reduce economic, social and territorial disparities between the regions of the Union, and the backwardness of the least favoured regions with a particular focus on rural areas, areas affected by industrial transition and regions suffering from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps, such as outermost regions, regions with very low population density, islands, cross-border and mountain regions.

READ THE FULL POSITION PAPER HERE

How are minimum wage levels changing in Europe?

In a new Eurofound Talks podcast episode, host Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound expert Carlos Vacas Soriano about recent changes to minimum wages in Europe and their implications.

Listeners can delve into the intricacies of Europe's minimum wage dynamics and the driving factors behind these shifts. The conversation also highlights the broader effects of minimum wage changes on income inequality and gender equality.

Listen to the episode for free. Also make sure to subscribe to Eurofound Talks so you don’t miss an episode!

The Spring issue of The Progressive Post is out!

Since President Trump’s inauguration, the US – hitherto the cornerstone of Western security – is destabilising the world order it helped to build. The US security umbrella is apparently closing on Europe, Ukraine finds itself less and less protected, and the traditional defender of free trade is now shutting the door to foreign goods, sending stock markets on a rollercoaster. How will the European Union respond to this dramatic landscape change? .

Among this issue’s highlights, we discuss European defence strategies, assess how the US president's recent announcements will impact international trade and explore the risks  and opportunities that algorithms pose for workers.

READ THE MAGAZINE

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. The background to this is the implementation of the European Minimum Wage Directive, which has led to a reorientation of minimum wage policy in many countries and is thus boosting the dynamics of minimum wages. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50 % of the average wage. However, for Germany, a structural increase is still necessary to make progress towards an adequate minimum wage.

	
		OSZAR »