Observatoire Social Européen

Mission & Goals

The European Social Observatory (Observatoire social européen, OSE) is a Brussels-based not-for-profit research centre specialised in the social dimension of the European Union (EU). Its mission is to analyse the impact of European integration on social and employment policies both at EU level and within Member States. It does this by conducting comparative research and formulating policy proposals. With its forward-looking approach, it operates as a thinktank, identifying issues as they emerge – from the impact of the internal market on healthcare systems and the social challenges associated with the EMU to the ‘greening’ of EU recovery and the social consequences of digitalisation. As a result of its vibrant research activity, the OSE has been consistently ranked (by the University of Pennsylvania) since 2016 among the top 100 social policy thinktanks worldwide Founded in 1984, OSE draws on a broad network of Belgian and European public authorities, thinktanks & scientific bodies