While the ongoing pandemic affects all European economies, we show that it is likely to cause much more economic damage in some member states than in others. Early fiscal crisis responses by EU governments do not reflect these differences. If anything, countries which are likely to be especially vulnerable are currently committing fewer fiscal resources to fighting the economic fallout than others. A joint European policy response to share the fiscal burden of this crisis is, therefore, urgently needed.

Discussions about the societal consequences of algorithmic decision-making systems are omnipresent. A growing number of guidelines for the ethical development of so-called artificial intelligence (AI) have been put forward by stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, and the scientific and policymaking spheres. The Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Algo.Rules are among this body of proposals. However, it remains unclear how organizations that develop and deploy AI systems should implement precepts of this kind. In cooperation with the nonprofit VDE standards-setting organization, we are seeking to bridge this gap with a new working paper that demonstrates how AI ethicsprinciples can be put into practice.

As the COVID-19 gets a foothold in Europe, health services are being put through their paces. Are they up to the job dealing with the unpredictable enemy?

Under the heading “2020: Shaping the Future of Europe Together”, the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Foreign Office invited citizens, politicians and experts to a joint Event. The Citizens from Poland, France and Germany discussed with Foreign Ministers Heiko Maas and Ekaterina Zaharieva

The Democratic pre-election campaign is entering its decisive phase. March 3, 2020, or "Super Tuesday", will determine almost a third of the delegates who will take part in the summer Democratic national convention to decide who will challenge Donald Trump in November. The election campaign takes place against a backdrop of extreme party-political polarization in the USA.

This year's Trilogue Salzburg is focussing on trust and deals with the question how politics, business and culture can build up innovative ways of promoting understanding and relation management.

The creation of better jobs is one of the U.N.’s demands to mark World Justice Day on February 20. Non-standard forms of employment are on the rise in the industrialized countries and the growing precarity is threatening the future of social welfare.

International Women’s Day on March 8 is around the corner again, offering Europe’s decision makers a fresh chance for Europe to admit that women still lag men in the workplace. Childcare provision is often in short supply and women are still much less likely than men to sit in the boss’ chair - but is Europe moving in the right direction?

The European Union has initiated a two-year process of meeting with European citizens to discuss and determine its future agenda and policies. Together with the King Baudouin Foundation and Open Society Foundations, we invited European Union politicians and other experts on democracy and European affairs to a Dinner Dialogue on
4  February 2020. The subject under discussion was the conceptual planning of the Conference on the Future of the European Union. Among the guests were the Vice-President of the European Commission, Dubravka Šuica, the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, and the German Minister of State for Europe, Michael Roth.

Germany has forged a reputation as an energy transition pioneer, with its “energiewende” (energy transition) policy to flip over to renewables. But as construction of new wind energy turbines stagnates, can it still strike its ambitious climate targets?