FEPS

15/10/2026

🇪🇺Widening & deepening the EU must go hand in hand. The EU cannot leave institutional weaknesses unresolved or risk further undermining its decision-making capacity

In this week's Progressive Page, Steven Blockmans addresses enlargement ahead of the summit

The EU needs a credible plan for governing an enlarged Union, not an assumption that […]

14/10/2026

✨ 🌹 That's a wrap on the 2026 edition of the FEPS Annual Autumn Academy !
https://bit.ly/FEPSAAA26

The final day of the saw over 50 rising political leaders from across the EU, equipping Europe’s next generation of progressive leaders with the tools, knowledge and networks they need to shape the future.

The 3rd day included:
🗳️ An academic Lecture on the rise of the Far-Right in Europe with Daphne Halikiopoulou, Professor, University of York, opened by Sascha Obrecht, Director of Karl-Renner-Institut and moderated by László Andor, FEPS Secretary General

👉 Discussion with Giacomo Filibeck, Party of European Socialists Secretary General and Guest Speaker Eunice Goes, Professor Richmond University, on "A Possible Road Ahead: Re-Igniting the Social and the Democratic of Social Democracy", moderated by Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training

🎓 Closing ceremony with Nicolas Schmit, President of FEPS

Over three intensive days, participants immersed themselves in a rich programme of lectures, debates, workshops, visits, mentorship sessions, masterclasses, training sessions and competitions. Congratulations to the participants of the 2026 ! 👏

🤝 By FEPS in partnership with FES Future of Work, Fundacja Aleksandra Kwaśniewskiego "Amicus, Karl-Renner-Institut, PRO International, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Poland, Olof Palmes Internationella Center, Eteron Institute and Fondazione Pietro Nenni. This activity is part of the FEPS European Progressive Training Lab.

14/10/2026

DAY 2 of the FEPS Annual Autumn Academy! With a special focus on the future of a Europe 🇪🇺
https://bit.ly/FEPSAAA26

With more than 50 rising EU political leaders, day 2 included:

🇪🇺 A keynote speech by Iratxe Garcia Pérez, President S&D Group in the European Parliament, moderated by László Andor, FEPS Secretary General
🔸 A lecture on a new social contract for a digital Europe by Paul Magnette, President of PS Belgium, moderated by Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training

🤖 Panel on : can it become a powerhouse built on values and rules that empower people? With:

🔺 Knut Dethlefsen, Director of FES Competence Centre Future of Work
🔺 Krzysztof Śmiszek, S&D MEP
🔺Claes-Mikael Stahl, Deputy General Secretary ETUC
🔺Kaisa Vatanen, Chief Research Officer at Mandate Research and FEPS Vice President
🔺Moderated by Victoria Hiepe, Policy Officer FES Competence Centre Future of Work

Thematic workshops analysed priority topics, including:

✊ Quality Jobs Act:
👉Vincent Bocquillon, S&D Deputy Secretary General, Head of the Sustainable Development Department
👉Marie Klein-Hitpass, PES Social and Employment Policy Adviser
👉Lena Katharina Moidl, APA to MEP Evelyn Regner
👉Moderated by François Balate, Policy Analyst on Social and Academic Coordinator

🛡️ Democracy shield
👉Alice Stollmeyer, Executive Director, Defend Democracy
👉Elisa Gambardella, Education and Lifelong Learning Coordinator, Director SOLIDAR +
👉 Holger Kiik, FEPS YAN
👉Moderator: Christian Salm, Head of Democracy at FEPS

🔐 Cybersecurity
👉Vagelis Papakonstantinous, Director VUB Ciber & Data Security Lab
👉Christos Papagiannis, FEPS YAN
👉Moderated by: Monty Aal, Digital Policy Analyst, FEPS

🔎 Then further discussions through policy seminars with MEPs:
🔸 Marc Angel, recommendations to the Commission on digitalisation, artificial intelligence and algorithmic management in the workplace with Victoria Hiepe, Policy Officer FES Competence Centre Future of Work
🔸 Hana Jalloul on Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula with Hedwig Giusto, FEPS Head of the International Programmes and Editor in Chief of the Progressive Post
🔸 Matthias Ecke, on a coherent tax framework for the EU's financial sector with Anna Kolesnichenko, FEPS Policy Analyst
🔸 Thijs Reuten on the implementation of the common security and defence policy with Beatriz Abellan, FEPS Policy Analyst
🔸 Thomas Bajada on Climate Resilience with Unai Gómez-Hernández, FEPS YAN Alumni
🔸 Vivien Constanzo on the future of mobility with a focus on the automotive industry with Elena Gil

Day 2 concluded with a fishbowl discussion on the EU as a Global Actor with Andreas Schieder, S&D MEP, Chair of the EP Austrian Delegation and Chair of Next Left. 🐟

Stay tuned for day 3!

13/10/2026

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER - Join FEPS in Dublin for "Building a digital Europe of equal opportunities", the latest edition of ! 🇮🇪
https://bit.ly/C2EIreland17October

The key priorities of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU are , and values. On Saturday, 17 October, FEPS will analyse these priorities from a progressive and gender equality angle with three sessions on:
❌ Competitiveness without a free pass for ,
🏚️ Security, focusing on providing a roof for people,
🗳️ Values that defend democracy.

All across these fields, women, girls and the LGBTQIA+ community are affected very differently, often in a negative way. Join us and have your say on what an equal, social and digital Europe should look like!

With speakers including:
👉 Ivana Bacik, President, Labour Party
👉 Iratxe García Pérez, President of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament
👉 Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Member of the European Parliament, S&D Group, Ireland
👉 Irene Tinagli, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the HOUS Committee, S&D Group, Italy
👉 MEP Evin Incir, Member of the European Parliament, S&D Group, Sweden
👉 Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus - polityk, Member of the European Parliament, S&D Group, Poland
👉 Aarthi Kumar, Founder, Yookthi Labs
👉 Marian Crowley-Henry, Professor of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour, Maynooth University
👉 Viola Bianchetti Programmes Manager, IGLYO — The International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation
👉 Michaela Kauer, Director of Brussels Office of the City of Vienna
👉 Mar Jiménez Carete, Commissioner for European Affairs at Barcelona City Council
👉 Michelle Hall, Councillor, Louth, Drogheda Rural
👉 Hannah Phillips, Jo Cox Foundation, Respectful Politics Policy Manager
👉 Dr. Salome Mbugua, AkiDwA Ireland
👉 Zita Gurmai, PES Women President
👉 Lhamo Fitzsimons, National Secretary of Labour Youth
👉 Mariam Asghari, Secretary General, Young European Socialists
👉 László Andor, Secretary General, FEPS
👉 Ania Skrzypek, Director for Research and Training, FEPS
👉 François Balate, Policy Analyst on Social and Academic Coordinator, FEPS
👉 Inga Sabanova, Policy Officer, FES Competence Center on Future of Work

Secure your spot by registering here! 👇
https://bit.ly/C2EIreland17October

🤝 By FEPS in collaboration with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, TASC - Think-Tank for Action on Social Change, The Labour Party Ireland, Social Democratic and Labour Party, Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, PES Women, Young European Socialists(YES) and PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions.

Call to Europe Ireland

12/10/2026

🌹👏 FEPS Annual Autumn Academy is back for a new edition! The title of the 2026 edition is “For a Europe of courage, cooperation and cohesion”. 🇪🇺
https://bit.ly/FEPSAAA26

The 1st day included:

👉 A panel "Social Europe – is it still enhancing the European Integration?" with Dominic Afscharian, Zentrum fur neue Sozialpolitik, Germany and moderated by François Balate, Policy Analyst on Social and Academic Coordinator

👉 A discussion on European cohesion in the context of the and ongoing discussions on .
With:
🔸 Ireneusz Bil, Director Amicus Europae
🔸Eleni Marianou, Senior Advisor on the Multiannual Financial Framework and Cohesion Policy, former chair of the SMOR Working Party in the European Council
🔸Victor Negrescu, Vice President of the European Parliament, VP of the PES and Chair of MFF WG of the PES
🔸Florian Marin, EESC Quaestor and Workers' Group Member (ONLINE)
🔸Jordi Harrison, PES CoR Secretary General
🔸Pascal Smet, Member of Brussels Regional Parliament
🔸Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training

🌹A World Cafe with Marcos Ros, MEP, Coordinator REGI and
🔸EU Cohesion Chaired by Irène Brandt, FEPS YAN
🔸Local democracy with Kido Koenig, Director Pro International
🔸EU Subsidiarity with Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training
🔸Rural and urban divides with Elena Gil, Training and Project Coordinator

And a discussion on the Country Case Studies:
🇭🇷 Croatia
👉Jure Zubčić, Secretary General SDP
👉 Sonja Kovać, Vice President of the SDP Croatia's Women's Forum and the Vice President of PES Women
👉Daša Šilović, Chair, International Board, CEE Network Gender for Gender Issues
👉 Karlo Vedak, YES Vice president and Councilor of Zagreb
🇫🇮Finland
👉Lauri Finner, Director at Kalevi Sorsa Foundation
👉Johan Wahlsten, Doctoral Researcher at University of Helsinki
👉Antti Alaja, expert at the Finnish Centre for New Economic Analysis in Helsinki
🇮🇹Italy
👉 Brando Benifei, S&D MEP
👉Niccolo Carboni, Secretary for International Partito Democratico
👉Eleonora Poli, Associate Researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)
👉Hedwig Giusto, FEPS Head of the International Programmes and Editor in Chief of the Progressive Post

FEPS brings together 50 rising political leaders from across the EU, equipping them with the tools, knowledge and networks they need to shape the future.

🤝 By FEPS in partnership with FES Competence Centre on the Future of Work, Amicus Europae, Karl Renner Institut, PRO International, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Poland, Olof Palme International Center, Eteron and Fondazione Pietro Nenni. This activity is part of the FEPS European Progressive Training Lab.

10/10/2026

🩺 Living long in good is a great achievement, but it shouldn't depend on people's wealth. Healthy choices must be affordable, accessible & achievable for all

On hashtag , Jana Michailidu discusses how health is a question of equality in this Progressive Page. 🧠

And leaving no one behind

09/10/2026

✊Workers aren't disposable resources! Recognising their voice & ownership are the pillars of : the antidote to an extractivist corporate model that may destroy political democracy

Isabelle Ferreras explores this idea in this week's ProgPage

Extending democracy to the workplace

09/10/2026

🪧 Barricaded schools in France. Tents across Madrid's Puerta del Sol. How can today’s demonstrations create real progress on housing, public schools, and social rights? Register for the event "Youth, protest and the fight for social rights in Europe"!
https://bit.ly/YouthProtestsEurope

Over the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of people, many of them young, have marched in the streets, calling for better schools and affordable housing. What happens once the tents and barricades are gone? Often, the momentum from large protests fades before it leads to real change.

How can today’s demonstrations create real progress on housing, public schools, and social rights? What part can youth movements play in shaping a more social Europe?

FEPS will host a discussion on the topic on Monday, 12 October, about what we can learn from the ongoing protests in France and Spain, and how these lessons can help improve life for young people across Europe.

Speakers include:
🎙️ Emma Rafowicz, MEP (S&D) and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education
🎙️ Mariam Asghari, Secretary General of the Young European Socialists
🎙️ Javier Carbonell, Director of Future Policy Lab and Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre

📅 Monday 12 October, 17:45–20:00
📍 Kamilou, Rue Joseph II 36, Brussels

👉 Register here:
https://bit.ly/YouthProtestsEurope

By FEPS, in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung | EU Office.

08/10/2026

We need a digital Europe, but not at the expense of equality. Join FEPS in Dublin for “Building a digital Europe of equal opportunities”, the latest edition of ! 🇮🇪

Comment "Ireland" to receive the link to register!

The key priorities of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU are , and values. On Saturday, 17 October, FEPS will analyse these priorities from a progressive and gender equality angle with three sessions on:

❌ Competitiveness without a free pass for ,
🏚️ Security, focusing on providing a roof for people,
🗳️ Values that defend democracy.

All across these fields, women, girls and the LGBTQIA+ community are affected very differently, often in a negative way. Join us and have your say on what an equal, social and digital Europe should look like!

The conference will also feature the
Socialists and Democrats Group S&D Housing Exhibition opens the door to real stories from across the EU, including Ireland, Malta, Spain, Poland, and Italy. 🏘️

With speakers including:
👉 Ivana Bacik Pres Labour Party Ireland
👉 Lina Gálvez Muñoz, MEP, Chair of FEMM, FEPS VP, Chair, Scientific Council
👉 Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP, MEP
👉 Evin Incir Privat, MEP,
👉 Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus MEP
👉 Irene Tinagli, MEP, Chair of the HOUS Committee
👉 Aarthi Kumar, Founder, Yookthi Labs
👉 Viola Bianchetti, Programmes Manager, IGLYO
👉 Michaela Kauer, Director of Brussels Office of the City of Vienna
👉 , Commissioner for European Affairs at Barcelona City Council
👉 Dr. Salome Mbugua, AkiDwA Ireland
👉 Gurmai Zita, PES Women President
👉 Mariam Asghari, Secretary General Young European Socialists
👉 Ania Skrzypek, Director for Research and Training, FEPS
👉 François Balate, Policy Analyst on Social and Academic Coordinator, FEPS
👉 Inga Sabanova, Policy Officer, FES Competence Center on Future of Work

🤝 By FEPS w/ , TASC - Think-Tank for Action on Social Change, , , Socialists and Democrats Group , and .

07/10/2026

📕 Read the new policy study “Taking the temperature of the EU’s clean industry strategy”, launched at FEPS for a deep dive into the heat pump value chain and a broader reflection on the EU's industrial strategy, including the recent .⤵︎
https://bit.ly/TakingTheTempEUIndustry

The seminar presented the findings of the policy study by Francesca Guadagno, an Economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), on the competitiveness and resilience of the European heat pump industry, which assesses production capacities, international competitiveness, import dependencies and policy options.

Since the Report of September 2024, a succession of EU initiatives – the , the Clean Industrial Deal and now the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) – have sought to reconcile decarbonisation with competitiveness, including through "Made in Europe" requirements expressed at the level of individual components. 🇪🇺

❓ But how can the EU strengthen its domestic production of clean technologies and reap the benefits of the transition towards climate neutrality? How do we define which components of clean technologies should be manufactured in the EU and supported by “Made in EU” requirements?

🔍 The analysis examines five core heat pump components – compressors, heat exchange units (HEUs), fans, controllers and refrigerants – across four dimensions: production levels; international competitiveness; trade balances and import dependencies; and innovation capacities.

It draws on disaggregated trade and production data, desk research and interviews with nine industry stakeholders and experts, benchmarking the EU against China, the USA and Japan. 🇪🇺 🇨🇳 🇺🇸 🇯🇵

Key findings:
👉 The EU industry presents strengths for some heat pumps components, demonstrating international competitiveness and innovation, while depending on imports for other components.
👉The EU faces increasing cost-based competition, especially from China.
👉Regulatory pressure on refrigerants is a strong and distinctive driver of EU innovation.
👉Overall, industrial policy should prioritise components that can deliver manufacturing capacity, jobs, innovation and added value, not attempt to restore cost competitiveness in standardised, low-value segments.

With speakers:
🔺Francesca Guadagno, Economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
🔺Paul Kenny, Director General, European Heat Pump Association
🔺Jacopo Tattini, Policy Officer, DG GROW
🔺Benjamin Bjerkan-Wade, Research Analyst on Energy and Climate Policy, Bruegel
🔺Chloé Deffet, Policy Analyst on Climate and Environment
🔺Stephan Thalhofer, Policy Advisor at FES Competence Centre Climate and Social Justice.

🤝 By FEPS, in collaboration with FES Just Climate.