Thomas Piketty

In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory, Europe can no longer content itself with declarations of intent. It urgently needs to pull itself together and regain a grip on world affairs, without any illusions about what will come from the United States. The crux of the matter is that it is impossible to face up to the socio-economic, climatic and geopolitical challenges that are shaking the planet as long as the European Union (EU) makes its decisions by the unanimous vote of all 27 member...

The tax debates currently underway in France and the discussions which took place at the 2024 G20 summit demonstrate that the issue of tax justice and the taxation of billionaires is not about to disappear from the public debate. There’s a simple reason for this: the sums amassed by the world’s wealthiest individuals over the last few decades are quite simply gigantic. Those who consider this a secondary or symbolic issue should take a look at the numbers. In France, the combined wealth...

Let’s face it: The report on Europe’s competitiveness and future submitted by Mario Draghi to the European Commission is heading in the right direction. For the former ECB president, Europe needs to make €800 billion of additional investments per year in the future – the equivalent of 5% of the European Union’s (EU) GDP – or around three times the Marshall Plan (between 1% and 2% of GDP in annual investments in the post-war period). This would enable the continent to return to the...

Despite the relative majority obtained by the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP, left-wing alliance) in legislative elections, the French political landscape remains marked by divisions and uncertainty. Let’s be clear: The left’s gains in votes and seats are actually very limited, and reflect insufficient work on both policy and structure. It is only by resolutely tackling these shortcomings that the left-wing parties will be able to get through the period of turbulence and minority...

Unsurprisingly, the debates leading up to the 2024 European elections were marked by geopolitical issues: the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, growing tensions between the West and the China-Russia bloc, which intends to increase its influence in the South and increase members of the BRICS+ group [Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran]. Some say the cause is clear: Europe’s future will be more kaki-oriented. Faced with the Russian threat, the...

Can a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine still be reached and under what conditions would it be viable? A word of optimism first: There are many citizen peace movements in both Israel and Palestine who tenaciously and imaginatively advocate peaceful, democratic solutions. Unfortunately, these groups are in a minority, and without powerful external support they have little chances of prevailing. To break the stalemate, it’s time for the European Union and the US, which between them...

Is Ukraine’s possible entry into the European Union a good idea? Yes, but on the condition that the European project is also redefined at the same time. In short, it should be an opportunity to redefine the EU as a political community serving the rule of law and democratic pluralism; and to break away from the economic religion of free trade and competition as the solution to all problems, which has dominated the construction of Europe for several decades.   The defence of Ukraine...

Just over a century ago, in the spring of 1924, the German left launched an uphill battle to redistribute the wealth of the Hohenzollerns, the ruling family who had lost power with the abdication of Wilhelm II and the creation of the Weimar Republic in 1919. Rich in lessons for today, this little-known episode deserves to be remembered. It illustrates the ability of elites to use the language of the law to perpetuate their privileges, regardless of the scale of their wealth or the...

The French and European agricultural crisis has demonstrated that no sustainable development trajectory is possible without a drastic reduction in the social inequalities and glaring injustices of our economic system. Instead, the public authorities in Paris and Brussels are embarking on an old-fashioned headlong rush to relaunch pesticides and pollution, without giving themselves the means to tackle injustices and liberal dogmas. This is all the more ill-adapted given that the farming...

With the death of Jacques Delors, president of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, a chapter in European history has ended. The time has come to take critical stock of this decisive period and to draw lessons for the future, a few months ahead of the European elections of June 2024. To say that the Europe we know today was shaped during this period would be an understatement, with the 1986 Single European Act (allowing for the free movement of goods and services), the 1988 European...