Social Europe - A Manifesto

The European Union is excellently equipped to pursue the most urgent issues facing the advanced world: combating environmental damage and climate change coping with the massive aftermath of the coronavirus crisis reforming globalisation regulating financialised capitalism reducing material inequalities and reconciling the future of work in a rapidly changing economy with workers needs for secure lives. The EUs leading role as global standard-setter and the potential of the social-investment welfare state are among the instruments at its disposal.But argues Colin Crouch in this manifesto for a return to the social Europe agenda to achieve these goals the EU needs to face the two menaces stalking todays politics: neoliberalism and xenophobic nationalism. To do so it must confront the weakness of social democracy historically the main political protagonist of the causes of co-operation and inclusion on which the strategy depends.