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EXPRESS<sp>2</sp> calls on Europeans to work together for a new, more inclusive, democratic and sustainable social contract

Family picture of the EXPRESS2 team

The three-million-euro Horizon Europe project was launched this spring and is being developed by 10 partner organisations from nine EU countries.

In recent years, there have been growing calls for a new social contract in the European Union in response to rapid social change, driven in part by technological advances. As digitalisation transforms the way we consume and share information, more people than ever before can participate in decision-making processes. This shift underlines the urgent need for a clear and inclusive social contract that reflects the values and aspirations of the European population, but how can a stronger, more democratic, legitimate, inclusive and sustainable social contract for Europe be promoted? And how can it be made ironclad in the face of powerful disruptive elements?  

This is the focus of the EXPRESS2 project, which over the next three years will analyse and respond to the growing demand for a new social contract that reflects the values and aspirations of the EU. To achieve this, a consortium of 10 partner institutions from 9 countries will work on a draft proposal for a Social Contract, which will be submitted for consultation to EU people, Member States and EU institutions. The different parties will be able to participate in its preparation and decide on its terms, rights and obligations.

The project is funded with €2.79 million from the European Commission's Horizon Europe research and innovation framework programme under the call Democratic governance for times of disruptive changes to the social contract (HORIZON-CL2-2023-DEMOCRACY-01-06).

A global perspective

The EXPRESS2 consortium is formed by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (coordinator) and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain), University of Copenhagen (Denmark) Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (Italy), Molde University College (Norway), Sabanci University (Turkey), Central European University (Hungary), European Movement International (Belgium),  Dublin City University (Ireland), University of Essex (United Kingdom). 

The team integrates different academic disciplines, including philosophy, law, anthropology and political science. The emphasis on gender equality and the inclusion of different perspectives - including geographical, legal and genealogical diversity - ensures inclusivity within the consortium. In addition, by involving non-EU countries, the project fosters international teamwork and promotes a global perspective on the development of the social contract. Such a pact will guide the development of policies and regulations that promote equality, social justice and sustainable development.

"We want to move from tacit to explicit acceptance of the EU social contract, recognising that inhabitants and institutions have a contractual right to express their views on the content, rights and obligations of the pact," explains EXPRESS2 coordinator Antoni Abat i Ninet, a researcher at the Institut d'Estudis Europeus (IEE) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

Disruptive elements

The EXPRESS2 consortium has identified and categorised seven factors that pose both conceptual and material threats to the EU social contract and contribute to inequality and polarisation: insecurity, populism, gender inequality, climate change, mistrust, digitalisation and pandemics. The team aims to explore these disruptive elements in depth and propose actionable measures and recommendations to prevent political instability and discontent within the EU and its member states. By addressing these challenges head-on, the project aims to strengthen social cohesion and enhance the overall stability of the European Union.