Documents Green European Journal 10 results

"As both an accelerator of existing trends and a moment of rupture, the health crisis and its tragic consequences have radically changed every aspect of social life. The implications of Covid-19 go deep, worsening social inequalities, speeding up disruptive technological change, and exposing a broken relationship with the natural world. From the experience of urban areas to new solidarities such as the notion of essential workers, this edition traces its causes and effects, as well as our response. Spanning loneliness among the elderly, the future of public health, and biodiversity loss, it tracks how the pandemic shines a light on fundamental challenges for the 21st century. While some wish to return to business as usual, putting health over the economy has forced the politics of life and living together out into the open. The task for Greens and progressives is keeping them at the centre of our politics."

"Covid-19 has triggered the largest economic recession since the Second World War. Governments injected billions into the economy and paid wages to protect the jobs of millions. EU countries took on shared debts for the first time. Many bold claims followed: austerity is dead, globalisation is a thing of the past, and the European Union has made a huge stride towards federalism. Are we living through an economic paradigm shift? We spoke with Guntram Wolff, director of the think tank Bruegel, about Europe's economic prospects, the recovery fund, and Europe's ecological and digital transformation."

"Adapting to Covid-19 has meant changing how and where we work and consume. In an economic recession, the major risk is that work will become more precarious, conditions more unequal, and platforms more powerful. But the disruption of old habits offers opportunities too. We sat down with economist and sociologist Juliet Schor to discuss the gig economy in the context of the pandemic, accelerating digitalisation, and the need for a new economy based on security and resilience."

"Since 2019, Spain has been ahead of the curve with the launch of a Just Transition Strategy to protect its historic coal mining regions from the impacts of decarbonisation. Rosa Martínez examines the uptake of just transition in public policy and where Spain's affected regions find themselves today. Progress is encouraging, but accelerating processes of digitalisation and automation mean that it is time to bring the notion of just transition up to speed so it can offer future-proof solutions in a world where employment is increasingly precarious."

"The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing economic crisis have seen millions pushed into insecurity. At the same time, the European Union and its member states have taken unprecedented action to protect jobs and mitigate the most severe economic impacts. We spoke to Philippe Pochet, general director of the European Trade Union Institute, about what the pandemic has meant for workers across Europe. The crisis may have opened a window of opportunity, but positive change cannot be taken for granted. To truly recover in the years ahead, Europe will need a new socio-ecological contract bringing together questions of inequality, climate and the digital economy."

"With digitalisation and shocks like the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather, the world of work is changing rapidly. But this transformation should not become an inevitability that workers must passively endure. Rather, it should be a democratic process shaped and decided by workers themselves. On the sidelines of the European Trade Union Institute's Blueprint for equality conference, we sat down with Isabelle Ferreras, who has co-authored a new book calling for a re-organisation of the economy, to discuss democratising work in the 21st century."