European Union
The Open Society Foundations work to increase democratic participation in the European Union, and to ensure that human rights are at the heart of what the EU does, both inside and outside its borders.
The Legacy of 1989
George Soros on Europe after the Berlin Wall
Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, Open Society Foundations Founder and Chair George Soros looks back at his support for Central and Eastern European democracy, which began when few imagined the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Europe’s Future
Confronting the EU’s Three Biggest Challenges
During this moment of change and instability, the EU has an opportunity to make reforms that will ensure it can tackle the problems of the 21st century. A new report offers a guide for turning this potential into reality.
Right to Housing
The Fight to Reclaim Housing Rights as European Human Rights
What use is a booming economy if you cannot find a place to live? A little-known EU charter can help re-establish housing as a human right.
Information Is Power
Q&A: Fighting for Workers’ Right to Data
Using the EU’s landmark General Data Protection Regulations, James Farrar, founder of Worker Info Exchange, is fighting to ensure that Uber drivers have the data they need to ensure they’re being treated fairly.
Transparency Matters
How Civil Society Came Together to Protect EU Whistleblowers
It wasn’t easy, but thanks in part to a dedicated coalition of civil society actors, as well as a shift in public consciousness, greater protections for EU whistleblowers has been secured.
Voices
Brexit’s Unanswered Questions
In the time since UK voters opted to leave the European Union, the debate about Brexit has focused on its implementation. But do policymakers really understand what motivated the leave vote in the first place?
Voices
The EU’s New Privacy Rules Are Only a First Step
While the new rules governing how large tech companies use people’s data are a step in the right direction, more must be done in order to rein in the excesses of “surveillance capitalism.”
Voices
A Historic Moment for Europeans of African Descent
The European Parliament’s recognition of black Europeans’ contributions and structural disadvantages was overdue and welcome. But policymakers and civil society must keep working to build a more inclusive European future.