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A new OSE Research Paper by Patricia Scherer: civil society is essential to legitimate EU economic governance — yet structurally sidelined in the European Semester. Power imbalances, Semester fatigue & missed opportunities. Read the findings.

Conference, 19 May 2026, 09:00-13:00, Brussels 

As Europe navigates a prolonged polycrisis that has shifted from exceptional to structural, the resilience of Social Europe is being put to the test. This edition highlights a growing tension in EU policymaking: as economic and geopolitical priorities take centre stage, social objectives are increasingly reframed through the narrower lens of skills development and labour market activation.

In this paper, Philippe Pochet, Taube Van Melkebeke and Friederike Möller explore the role that welfare state sectors can play in mitigating the social risks associated with the climate crisis while addressing greenhouse gas emissions, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss.

'Connecting the dots' between the Platform Work Directive and the existing EU social acquis: a missed opportunity for the Platform Work Directive?

This paper by Ilda Durri (OSE) examines the relationship between the EU Platform Work Directive (2024/2831) and three core EU labour directives on the working time, the transparent and predictable working conditions and the fixed-term work.

Launch of ETUI/OSE Social policy in the EU: state of play 2024. 
Thursday 3 April 2025, Double Tree by Hilton, Brussels

This conference, presenting the latest edition of Social Policy in the European Union, brings together leading experts, policymakers, and advocates to unpack the evolving landscape of Social Europe. Join us in charting the path forward for a fairer, more resilient Union in an era of profound transformation.