What is the historical trajectory of social democracy, what does its ideological arsenal include, how does it differ from liberal Right and radical Left, how does it perceive democracy and the welfare state today, what are its basic positions on the united Europe and globalization, what does it propose for the protection of individual and social rights, how are social democratic parties organized in the "post-representative" era and what are their social references? Is the Left-Right dichotomy sufficient to explain the position of social democracy or are new divisive lines required to define its identity?

What unites and separates the social-liberalism of the Europhile Emmanuel Macron from the ethnocentric statism of the Eurosceptic Jeremy Corbyn, the traditional social democrat Martin Schulz from the centrist reformist Matteo Renzi? Which political collaborations are considered "normal" and which (should be) considered "abnormal"? Are there "profane" alliances or is everything allowed? What is the cause of the strengthening of extremes, the fragmentation of the vote, and the allure of anti-establishment discourse in European democracies? What are the prospects today for the recovery of the political space that self-identifies as intermediate between liberal Right and radical Left?

The promotion of the ideological and political identity of social democracy is not a luxurious theoretical exercise. On the contrary, it is a necessary tool for delivering programmatic discourse, political action, and exercising governmental power. At the same time, it constitutes a critical factor in the process of accountability to citizens, as well as to the members of social democratic parties themselves.