Aurélie Dianara is a research fellow at the University of Évry and the author of Social Europe, the Road not Taken: The Left and European Integration in the Long 1970s (2022).
During the 1970s, left parties and unions promoted the idea of a “Social Europe” as a response to the crisis of capitalism. The term later served as a rhetorical distraction from the EU’s ongoing embrace of neoliberal dogma.
At his funeral last week, former European Union chief Jacques Delors was hailed as a left-wing architect of the EU. But far from realizing the Left’s hopes for a “social Europe,” in the 1990s Delors built a new European order in thrall to free-market dogmas.
The auto parts firm GKN is laying off thousands of workers across Europe, sparking a series of strikes and protests. And rather than helping workers, the European Union is helping the company offshore their jobs.
Today marks one year since yellow-vested protesters first occupied roundabouts and intersections across France. The movement has given a voice to parts of society that usually go ignored — and the newfound spirit of revolt is continuing to shake Emmanuel Macron’s government.
Three months since the gilets jaunes protesters first blockaded roads around France, the movement has created a crisis in Emmanuel Macron’s presidency — and one that’s due to last.
France’s “yellow vest” protests against fuel prices weren’t organized by the Left. But the fight to widen their demands is key to blocking the growth of Marine Le Pen’s far right.