About: poverty

MEP Romeo Franz names ‘racist’ colleagues

In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV Bulgaria, German MEP Romeo Franz discusses the problems of Europe’s largest minority – the Roma, and names some colleagues he considers “racist”.

Lack of strategy leaves Bulgaria last in terms of digital performance

For a second consecutive year, Bulgaria is ranked last among all 27 EU members in the European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index, despite having a powerful IT sector, concentrated mostly in the capital Sofia.

Italy pledged aid to 2.3 million workers. Just 29,000 have got it

Looking to save lives and stop the coronavirus by shutting down the nation, the Italian government told workers in March: you stay home and we will pay most of your lost wages.

Confined by lockdown, some students in France queue for donated food

Unable to work part-time jobs under the coronavirus lockdown, some students in French universities are surviving on food donated by the authorities as they struggle to meet living expenses. Queuing for food handouts has become a ritual for many students...

Slovakia closes off five Roma settlements due to coronavirus

Slovakia has closed off several Roma settlements in the eastern part of the country after reports of a cluster of coronavirus cases in five of them, highlighting difficulties faced by Europe’s largest ethnic minority during the pandemic.

Half a billion people face poverty after COVID-19

The economic crisis caused by coronavirus could push over half a billion people into poverty unless “urgent and dramatic action is taken”, a new Oxfam study published on Thursday (9 April), has warned.

‘We have to eat’: Sicily police crack down on looting

Police with batons and guns have moved in to protect supermarkets on the Italian island of Sicily after reports of looting by locals who could no longer afford food.

Children’s voice need to be heard in Europe, NGOs say

Poverty and violence are among the most dramatic threats children in Europe are facing, according to 'Joining Forces', a coalition of children's rights campaigners, but if the EU really wants to tackle them, it had better hear their voices, members of the coalition told EURACTIV.

French dairy industry ranks first worldwide but farmers don’t reap the benefits

The concentration of the French dairy industry, which is at the origin of the impoverishment of milk producers, paradoxically ranks the sector above its global competitors, according to a study by France Agrimer. EURACTIV France reports.

France’s young farmers are struggling to establish themselves

Between the challenge of accessing land and the cost of transferring ownership of farms, young French farmers are struggling to establish themselves as farmers. The question is, will the next generation of farmers be able to take up the baton in France? EURACTIV France reports.

Human trafficking in Romania: an integrated approach needed in the era of open borders

Trafficking of human beings is by definition a transnational crime and can only be tackled through more integrated and supranational structuresр write Elena Petrescu and Yannis Karamitsios.

French government institute welcomes idea of a CAP supporting farmers’ jobs

In a report presented in Paris on 23 October, the government institution France Stratégie proposed to support employment in the agricultural sector rather than the amount of cultivated land. But for this to become reality, a complete overhaul of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy is needed. EURACTIV France reports.

One in ten of the world’s children are forced to work, report shows

Every tenth child in the world, which amounts to over 150 million in total, are forced to work to support their family financially, according to the human rights organisation Terre des Hommes. This finding was published in the organisation's 2019 Child Labour Report, which it published for International Child Labour Day (12 June). EURACTIV Germany reports.

New report paints picture of rising inequality in Germany

With falling unemployment, increased exports and comparatively stable growth rates. Germany's statistics paint a positive picture. But many Germans have been left behind, EURACTIV Germany reports.

Europe has saved the banks, now we must save its citizens

Introducing an EU-guaranteed minimum income would send a clear message to Europeans that the Union really is there for them, writes Georges Dassis.

South-East Europe needs zero-priced capital to boost growth

The region of former Yugoslavia and Albania has long ago been swallowed up by the EU. Yet, it is doomed to permanent marginalisation unless the EU does not open its structural and cohesion funds, or provide other source of zero-priced capital, writes Dušan Reljić.  

Secure a social Triple A by making the Social Pillar a reality

Nearly one billion people have escaped poverty worldwide since the first #EndPoverty Day, but too many others have been left behind, even in Europe, writes Luca Jahier.

Rising inequality calls for a new social contract

The gap between rich and poor in Europe has increased compared to thirty years ago, affecting young cohorts in particular. Yet the social protection systems currently in place across European countries were designed during the past century and are no longer fit for the present, argues Cyril Muller.

An EU budget to protect people in poverty or our defence and security industries?

We need an EU budget that protects people instead of investing in borders and defence industries, argue Leo Williams and Vito Telesca.

Afghan poverty rises sharply since NATO combat troops’ departure

Poverty has risen sharply in Afghanistan since the departure of NATO's combat troops in 2014, with more than half of the population now living below the poverty line, according to a national survey.

Bozhidar Danev: Part of Bulgaria’s fuel sector lies in the grey economy

Unusually low fuel prices in Bulgaria are probably the result of cartels, or contraband, Bozhidar Danev told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview, saying the authorities have  so far been unable or unwilling to address the issue.

Agriculture offers little chance of escaping poverty in Africa

LONDON: The rate of rural households in developing African nations “descending into poverty exceeds the rate of those sustainably escaping it”, according to a recent report of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

Children must be at the heart of debate on Europe’s future

Most people debating the future of Europe think in economic terms. But today we must think about how children in Europe are experiencing their childhood, as that will be the biggest determining factor of our future, writes Jana Hainsworth.