POLITICS & POLICY
Greece – Reforms: Protests continue
Strikes and protests are part of the daily agenda in Greece. On Thursday, more than 6,000 Greek white-collar workers (among whom doctors and engineers) decided to take the streets against the pension reforms requested by the country’s creditors. In order to symbolize their protest, while walking, they kept waving their neckties. According to an engineer, If the law in question were to be accepted, 84 percent of their earnings would go to taxes and other contributions.
Source: Ekathimerini, 21/01/2016
Denmark – Life quality: Well done Denmark!
According to the US News & World Report, Denmark is not only the best country in the world where to be a woman, but also the second best nation for raising children. According to the report and other studies, this is due to the country’s generous welfare state. In fact, education and health care are essentially free and gender equality is promoted by providing a earnings-related day care system and a very flexible parental leave policy.
Source: Thelocal, 20/01/2016
The Netherlands – Progress in unemployment rates
According to the Dutch national statistics office CBS, for the first time since 2012, the number of jobless people in the Netherlands has fallen bellow 600,000. This made the official unemployment rate decline from 7.2% to 6.6% within a year. While the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in rose by 1.1% in December, over 2015 there has been an overall decline in jobless benefit claims, according to the CBS.
Source: Dutchnews, 21/01/2016
THE STATEMENT
“I think it will need more time. The discussions only started a short time ago. We have to do everything we can to make Britain stay. Not on any conditions, that would be senseless. But there are some demands and requests that are acceptable: to have a Europe that is more simple, that works better, that is more effective”.
Manuel Valls, PM of France.
Source: The Guardian, 21/01/2016
NUMBERS
€183 million
The sum made available for active employment policy for this year and 2017 by the Slovenian government
Source: Sta, 22/01/2016
5.3%
The percentage by which average earnings in Hungary have gone up in November in year-on-year terms
Source: Budapest Business Journal, 21/01/2016
Photo Credits CC: Parti socialiste
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