Climate Plans Need Workers, Not Just Disclosure
Twelve thousand Duisburg steelworkers marched for green steel: employee voice can accelerate transition rather than block it.
Politics
Analysis and debate on European and national politics, democracy, the rule of law, parties and elections, and Europe’s place in the world.
Europe’s AI Divide Is Already an Enlargement Problem
Nearly 96 per cent of Montenegro’s businesses are micro enterprises, and Europe’s AI evidence base barely sees them.
Austria’s Headscarf Ban Shows What Happens When Law Replaces Integration
Four parties backed a ban on headscarves for girls under 14, and a child pays the price.
Mirafiori’s Restart Exposes the Blind Spot in Europe’s Industrial Policy
Five years among the men at Turin’s factory wall reveal what 44 million furlough hours conceal.
Iceland Needs the EU as a Political Project, Not a Market
Trump’s new map swallows Iceland, yet Icelanders have just voted against reopening membership talks with Brussels.
Beyond Free Trade and Protectionism: Towards a New Pro-Worker Trade Policy
Four changes – from enforceable labour rights to seats in the boardroom – would restore democratic legitimacy to open economies.
Europe Cannot Defend Its Values by Teaching Them
Hizb ut-Tahrir’s founder called Western values purely utilitarian; Europe’s institutions are struggling to prove him wrong.
EU Trade Deals Must Uphold The Due Diligence Rules Europe Passed
Only four EU trade agreements since 2022 allow any sanction for breaking labour and climate commitments.
Nobody Will Pull The Trigger When Humanity Loses Control Of AI
Around 1,200 OpenAI agents built themselves a messaging system, and every step towards it was individually rational.
Nativism Does Not Need Migrants — Or A Fixed Nation
In El Ejido a third of residents are foreign, and Vox still more than doubled its regional score.
Public Money Must Come With Public Obligations for Europe’s Industry
Steel and chemical plants cannot wait 10 years for cheap power, and the Industrial Accelerator Act needs teeth.
People Want Economic Change but Have Stopped Trusting Governments to Deliver It
While two-thirds say that democracy is the best way to govern, four in ten say a strong leader would serve their country better.
Services Now Outpace Manufacturing as the Engine of Development
In India, a worker who leaves the factory floor for services now adds more to national income.
Orbán’s Propaganda Machine Lost Because Fidesz Believed Its Own Story
Fear of war among Hungarians fell from 46 to 29 per cent as Peter Magyar reframed the election.
Europe’s AI Revolution Runs on Public Infrastructure
One planned German data centre will draw as much electricity as 600,000 households and employ around 120 people.
Europeans Are More Pragmatic About AI Than Their Prophets
Half of Americans say AI already harms society, against just 35 per cent across continental Europe.