The path to recovery after the Covid-pandemic is paved with hopes, but also with questions. The European Union agreed on the largest ever aid and investment plan. But many ponder if, really, it will help advancing the cause of equality, sustainability and social justice for all.
The sentiment of solidarity and the readiness to take part in collective actions that has marked the Covid-period has prompted the debate on the future of the welfare state. This can politically play into the hands of anyone at the moment and so can the effects of the EU Recovery strategy. The political organisations instinctively closed the ranks and they suffered from limited possibilities for social interactions. This, while it is openness and inclusiveness what the citizens leaving lockdowns are searching for. Against this backdrop, Social Democrats – in the countries where they are in power, as well in those where they are in opposition – face strategic choices, which may help them overcome the current historical low and ensure their prominent place in the books about the future.
