Edited by Fabrizio Bernardi, Department of Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute and Gabriele Ballarino, Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, Italy .

Rising inequality will be the single most prominent societal challenge for the EU in the coming decades, says a newly published report titled “Europe’s Societal Challenges. An analysis of global societal trends to 2030 and their impact on the EU”. The authors argue that because the EU is entering an era of long-term slow economic growth, it cannot rely on productivity growth as the engine for wellbeing. The EU must invest in its human resources, giving citizens the tools to seize all the opportunities that come their way, by boosting health, inclusion, education, skills and connectivity.