Growing inequality and poverty within the European Union. Between 2013 and 2014, inequality increased in almost all Member States (except France, Croatia, Luxembourg, Hungary and Malta).
The data can be read in the dossier of the Montecitorio and Palazzo Madama Research Service, dedicated to the economic forecasts of the EU Commission, published on the occasion of the very recent hearing of Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia, PPE), Commissioner responsible for the euro and social dialogue, before to the Joint Budget, Labor and EU Policy Committees of the Senate and Chamber.
Despite recent improvements, inequality continues to be a particularly worrying problem also in Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania.
In 2014, 2020% of the EU-24,5 population was considered at risk of poverty and social exclusion for the purpose of verifying the state of implementation of the Europe 28 Strategy. This percentage, calculated as a weighted average of national data, hides significant differences between EU Member States.
In three Member States, namely Romania (40,2 %), Bulgaria (40,1 %) and Greece (36 %), over a third of the population was considered to be at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The lowest share of people at risk of poverty was registered in the Czech Republic (14,8 %), the Netherlands (16,5 %) and Sweden (16,9 %), however, an increase compared to 2013.
And as far as Italy is concerned, the numbers that distinguish our country are certainly not idyllic. Indeed, Italy, in fact, with a poverty risk index of 28,3% is well above the EU-28 average, which is 24,5%. Worse than Italy, in addition to the aforementioned Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, only Latvia, Hungary, Croatia and Spain.
And numbers that are not comforting for us also in relation to the working condition of the population. In Italy more than one out of 10 employed persons (11%) was at risk of poverty in 2014. And one out of 10 among pensioners. Some numbers for the former Germany train. One out of 10 workers is at risk of poverty, and 16,6% of pensioners, compared to a European average of 12,7%.
