The prosperity gap in Europe is widening. Despite the general upswing since the economic crisis in 2008, an increasing number of European citizens are at risk of poverty. At the same time, globalisation and digitisation are changing almost every aspect of our lives.
Although research shows that social cohesion in the EU is relatively stable – particularly in economically prosperous countries – a greater number of people feel left behind and concerned about their place in society, with more people turning towards populism, nationalism and anti-immigrant movements.
At the Young Europeans’ Forum 2019, organised by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Aladin Project in cooperation with UNESCO, young people from all over Europe discussed how we can shape a peaceful, open and supportive life in diversity.
Participants discussed the following: What holds a diverse society together? How can we use immigration and the increasing diversification of our cultures to strengthen social cohesion? What are our common values? And what is the role of citizens who are socially involved?
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Time to oppose centrifugal forces that affect European societies
The world is currently experiencing rapid technological, economic, political and social change. The consequences of these developments are also being felt in Germany and Europe, write Andreas Grau and Julia Tegeler.
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To promote social cohesion, conflicts need to be part of the debate
Community and belonging - what do these terms mean in an increasingly diverse and identity-focused world? At the Young Europeans' Forum 2019 that took place in Berlin in June, young people discussed what makes a good society and how social cohesion can be promoted at an individual level. EURACTIV Germany reports.
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Inequalities of chances, income and capital are destroying society, says German expert
In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Hanno Burmester, founder of the consultancy firm Unlearn, spoke about the widening gap between rich and poor in Europe, the rise of nationalism and whether social cohesion is crumbling.
