Katja Lehto-Komulainen

Katja Lehto-Komulainen is deputy general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation. She was previously head of international affairs at the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK).

European Parliament elections: new responses in dangerous times

by Katja Lehto-Komulainen on 5th March 2019

The European Parliament elections could see the emergence of a large populist bloc thwarting progress for the next five years. A big mobilisation is needed to prevent that. The elections to the European Parliament in May 2019 will be like no previous European elections—possibly the most important since the first direct elections 40 years ago. […]

Creating Good Quality Jobs: If Not Now, Then When?

by Katja Lehto-Komulainen on 14th November 2018

Everybody at the European level agrees that we need more quality jobs to build momentum for recovery and climb out of the years of crisis. But what does this actually mean? And what realistic plans are in place to achieve growth that is ‘rich in quality jobs’? Late last year, the European Trade Union Confederation […]

A European Treasury – One Answer To The EU’s Economic Woes

by Katja Lehto-Komulainen on 11th April 2017

In Rome, EU leaders pledged to build a “prosperous and sustainable Europe” where “economies converge”. Fine words – but empty ones without more investment, especially in Member States with weaker economies. That is why the European Trade Union Confederation is urging the setting up of a European Treasury for public investment. The ETUC has been […]

Discover the new issue of the Progressive Post!

Social rights for platform workers, fiscal-rules reform and EU enlargement, as well as the challenges and opportunities for social democrats in the post-pandemic context, are the main topics of the latest Progressive Post magazine.

After more than a year of the pandemic, we are in a crucial political moment: policy decisions made now will drive reforms and sustainable growth in the years to come. For progressives to take ownership of these topics, this issue of the Progressive Post analyses some of these opportunities.

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COMMITTED TO CHANGE! Reimagining the future of citizenship education in Europe, 28–29 October 2021 in Brussels (Les Ateliers des Tanneurs) and online

The 2021 NECE conference will take place as a hybrid event on 28-29 October.

NECE (Networking European Citizenship Education) is the European platform for citizenship education, co-ordinated by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education.

Its conference this year will address the future of citizenship, democracy and society, and the role of citizenship education. How can education provide new forms of civic participation? How does citizenship education engage with continuously advancing digitalisation and sustainable-development issues?

The talk with Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, renowned artist, curator, art critic and author, will address important aspects of future-oriented education!

Check out the detailed conference programme on the NECE website and register now to tune in to a rich variety of panels, workshops, field trips and other on-site and online networking opportunities!

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WSI policy brief: the formula for a social Europe

The strengthening of the social dimension of the EU is back on the agenda of European politics. The European Pillar of Social Rights, the revision of the Posted Workers Directive and the initiative for a European minimum wage are interpreted by some as a turning point. However, the road to a more social Europe is still very long. Against that background, this paper formulates a social Europe thus: social minimum standards plus a reconfiguration of the internal market and economic and monetary union in a manner compatible with the pillars of the European social model.

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Job retention schemes in Europe: a lifeline during the Covid-19 pandemic

To understand the diversity of job retention schemes implemented in the Covid-19 crisis, the two co-authors developed a typology, distinguishing among three underlying types: short-time working (STW) schemes, furlough schemes and wage subsidies. They provide a comparative overview of the different schemes implemented in the context of the crisis, considering their design as well as their size in terms of expenditure, and map adjustments made to them in the course of the crisis. Finally, they analyse the evolution of the take-up of the schemes in the course of 2020.

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Living, working and Covid-19 (update April 2021): mental health and trust decline across EU as pandemic enters another year

The third round of Eurofound's Living, working and Covid-19 e-survey, fielded in February and March 2021, sheds light on the social and economic situation of people across Europe following nearly a full year of living with restrictions. The report analyses the main findings and tracks developments and trends across the 27 EU member states since the survey was first launched in April 2020. It pinpoints issues that have surfaced over the course of the pandemic, such as increased job insecurity due to the threat of job loss, decline in mental wellbeing, erosion of recent gains in gender equality, fall in trust vis-à-vis institutions, deterioration of work–life balance and growth of vaccine hesitancy. The results of the survey highlight the need for a holistic approach to support all the groups hit hard by the crisis, to prevent them from falling further behind.

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