Launch of the magazine

Download the German press release

At a time when many turn their back on the European Union, progressive European think-tank FEPS looks towards the future with the launch on the 25^th of May 2016 of a new European and progressive magazine, “THE PROGRESSIVE POST”. Published in three languages, French, English and German, this new quarterly adds to the debate by providing analyses of the issues at stake and progressive solutions that measure up to citizens’ expectations.

“It’s a fact that no one is satisfied with the current European state of affairs but is it fair to turn our back on it? The European Left has other ambitions and this magazine is a reminder that another Europe is possible”, said Massimo D’Alema, President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and former Prime Minister of Italy.

In order to influence national debates and not get trapped in the Brussels’ bubble, the FEPS has taken on the challenge to publish in three versions (FR-EN-DE), which are the three most spoken languages in Europe. The Foundation will not stop there. A Bulgarian edition is in the works and could be the prelude to many more. Indeed, there is currently not a single national magazine openly European and progressive.

“The major challenges that make the headlines of national newspapers and which are of concern to European citizens – COP 21, Panama Papers, the refugee crisis etc.- can no longer be addressed solely through the lens of the national state, as was the case in the past. These challenges need dynamic and independent supranational institutions, such as the European Union”, reminds Ernst Stetter, the publication’s director.

Launch on the 25^th of May in Brussels

Introduction of the magazine to the public will take place Wednesday 25^th of May, 6.30pm at Restaurant Quartier Leopold, 9 place du Luxembourg, just behind the European Parliament, which is the most democratic European institution. Many personalities are expected to attend.

In this first issue, The Progressive Post directly addresses the burning question of the state of the Union. The next issue in July will look at young people and their disenchantment with Europe and politics in general. Although alarming, a recent international study conducted by the FEPS on http://millennialdialogue.com shows the opposite might be true.

Aiming to be a magazine for thinking and understanding the challenges that Europe faces in the 21^st century, the magazine addresses different issues such as the introduction of basic income with Professor Philippe Van Parijs and European insurance with former Commissioner Lázló Andor, along with other issues of the day: the state of social-democracy in Poland and the migrant crisis as seen from the perspective of the Visegrad Group.

The Progressive Post also offers in this first issue an exclusive tribune co-signed by Massimo D’Alema and Tariq Ramadan calling for a European Islam, and the reactions of Paul Magnette and Freddy Thielemans on the Brussels’ terror attacks.

The platform will be the digital version of the magazine. Some articles will be accessible and supported by other analyses. The website aims to be the hub for European progressive thinking, informed by research from the 50 founding members of the FEPS without ignoring the debate naturally fostered by a political project of that calibre.

For more information

Think European – read European – www.progressivepost.eu

Individual issue (quarterly): 3 euros.
Year subscription (4 issues): 10 euros.

Alain Bloëdt – Editor in Chief at The Progressive Post
+32 491 56 82 72 – alain.bloedt@feps-europe.eu