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Wow, time flies! We are reaching the middle of April but still have plenty of exciting activities ahead! Among the highlights is our Call to Europe flagship annual event. ‘The future is social’ is this edition’s motto, with Commissioner Nicolas Schmit!

Check out this week’s diverse and appealing menu: social agenda, democracy, AI at work, trade, clean growth and more!

Join our annual flagship conference on the future of Europe on April 30! The Belgian Presidency of the EU is the occasion in which, finally, social investment and socio-economic matters have been put up as European priorities. Representatives from policymaking, academia, and civil society, including high-level guests like Nicolas Schmit, EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Kate Pickett, Professor at the University of York, and Pedro Marques, Member of the European Parliament and Vice President of the S&D Group, will discuss the path that should be taken to guarantee a social Europe.

Have you ever dreamed of a future in which EU policymaking prioritises well-being and quality of life? Join our Call to Europe: The Future is Social conference to reignite the transformative power of social-democratic values in shaping tomorrow’s Europe for inclusivity, sustainability and collective prosperity.

The challenge to democracy is not just the far-right but some centre-right parties allying with them, letting them inside governments and normalising their exclusionary discourse. 

Join us as we unveil the findings and policy recommendations of our upcoming  policy study ‘The transformation of the European mainstream right and its impact on (social) democracy’, together with co-authors, policymakers, and academics. 

In the meantime, check out the policy brief which is already available! 

We’ll also launch the policy study in Vienna on 22 April. 

During this webinar, we unveiled the first findings of the Digital Programme: Algorithms in the workplace. Together with the authors of the two recently-published studies, we discussed the recent developments around the Platform Work Directive, and how the developments in the platform economy are relevant for understanding what is coming to traditional sectors of the economy. 

Read the first publications of the Digital Programme: ‘Algorithms by and for the workers‘ and ‘Employment terms of platform workers‘.

Trade can be a potent instrument for promoting the green transition both at home and globally. Yet, given the unequal capacity of countries to contribute to such policies, the trade-green nexus should be complemented with a development agenda.

International trade should include, at its core, economic, social, and environmental benefits, which must rely on all the parts involved to benefit all parties equally. Read more about this new Policy Study.

On the same topic, find out more about Arancha González Laya’s book Making Trade Work for Prosperity, People, and Planet.

“Clean growth” versus “degrowth” is a highly contentious political debate. It ought not to be. Making the green transition work for people and for the planet is key to achieving sustainable emissions cuts without stirring political resentment and policy retrenchment.

As highlighted in this policy brief, policies must focus on guiding the transition and channelling market forces in the right direction, towards a high-efficiency, low-carbon economy and world. Doing so means finding a balance between energy efficiency measures on the one hand, and research, development, and the rapid deployment of new, cleaner technologies on the other. Read more.

In this article for Social Europe, Eloïse Bodin shares the main findings of the report she co-authored, ‘Women CSO leaders for systemic change’, which is based on interviews with 150 women leaders of CSOs across the EU. The policy study takes stock of the systemic challenges they face and includes recommendations for achieving systemic change in Europe. 

We have recently synthesised these key findings into a comprehensive infographic. Feel free to share it with your network! 

2024 is gearing up for an exceptional electoral year, with the European elections, the US elections, and over 2 billion people across 50 countries exercising their right to vote. For European Progressives, it is time to go back to basics, which in an era of shrinking welfare states, increased inequalities and rising living costs, includes a return to strong and impactful social policies. Our Special Coverage The future is social highlights progressive ideas for a fairer Europe, which is at stake in these European Parliament elections.

The transformative role Progressives can play is also at the core of the Dossier The art of progressive governance in turbulent times. The Focus on Ukraine: two years of full-scale war underlines this risk and the conflict’s implications on the Ukrainian people’s difficult path to democracy. Additionally, the Dossier Women in politics: beyond representation reflects on the vital role of women in shaping political landscapes as we approach this critical electoral cycle.

In Belfast, 26 years ago, leaders of political parties and the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom reached a historic agreement to end 30 years of bloody conflict in Northern Ireland. It was 10 April 1998: Good Friday. On Good Fridays since then, a simple commemoration has been hosted in the unitarian church on St. Stephen’s Green Dublin to remember all the victims of ‘the Troubles’. Members of the congregation, and guests, including myself occasionally, read out the names of the 3,600 people who were killed, most of them long forgotten, except by their families and friends. Read more. 

Photo credits: Shutterstock.com/ClaudioDivizia

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