European human capital and skills in need of transformation

Views: 32Most of present global/European challenges can be solved only by modernising training and education towards newly needed skills and qualifications. The EU member states are advised using “human capital” in a most efficient way; however, while having one of the European strongest labour markets in decades, most companies, and even national governance structures, are […]

EU integration through the EU’s “Skills year-2023”

Views: 46New Commission’s skills-initiative for 2023 seems to be too complicated to deliver within just a year: it is involving all three existing “division of competence” between the EU and the member states. Some, as the education policy, is almost fully in the states’ competence shared; however, the initiative touches upon important issues vital for […]

Minimum wage: perspective European socialist agenda

Views: 32Securing adequate minimum wages for workers in the EU has been a long-standing theme in the EU-wide social agenda. This September was a pivotal moment: the draft directive was endorsed by the European Parliament to confirm an agreement between the Parliament and the Council in June while providing hope for a successful adoption of […]

Science and research in solving major global-national problems

Views: 33Present multi-faceted crises’ period and associated global challenges represent a strong wake-up call for modern governance structures in finding most optimal ways to recovery and resilience. A great helping hand comes from all sectors of science (exact, natural, social, etc.) to provide national decision-makers with an expert opinion on resolving national priorities in political […]

Improving family’s work-life balance in the EU: supplementing social agenda

Views: 42This August, new work-life balance rights are starting to apply in the EU member states; they are supplementing existing maternity leave rights. The new set of rights will make it easier to share responsibilities between parents (as well as for every parent) and care-takers to balance family’s employment activity with leisure and life-enjoinment. 

Digital economy and society: perspective directions in EU integration

Views: 49Modern technological revolution has fundamentally altered traditional ways the national economy and society have been functioning. The European Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is monitoring the states digital progress in four key areas: human capital, connectivity, digital technology’s integration and digital public services. DESI shows that several EU states still struggle to close […]

Modernising European higher education (part I)

Views: 52The EU provides states with both advice and support for high quality and inclusive education. These efforts are aimed at giving students urgently needed knowledge and skills for adequate response to new challenges affected by globalisation and technological change. These challenges are to be incorporated into national education policies in order to tackle the […]

Minimum wage in Europe: crediting social-democrats’ initiatives

Views: 26Expected deal among EU institutions on a minimum wage directive represents a key milestone in a decade-long social-democrat’s fight for fair wages. The directive is aimed at better wages for Europe’s lowest paid workers and will help millions of low paid workers EU-wide at a time when citizens contend with climbing living costs and […]

Education for sustainable growth with the common global roadmap for 2030

Views: 56During last six years UNESCO has been working on implementing sustainability into states’ sustainable policies and higher education (HE). Finally, in May 2022 the global educational community adopted a general roadmap for HE and a plan to “reinvent education for a sustainable future”. Although it is not an action plan agreed by governments, it […]

Social agenda in European integration and development

Views: 26In the EU’s development triangle, in the so-called “social market economy”, most vital is its social facet, which distinguishes “European capitalism” from some traditional western-liberal connotations. At the end of 2021, the European Commission adopted a new action plan on the social economy with concrete measures to “mobilise full potential of the social economy”.