EU Releases Social Justice Report

On October 27, the European Union released its annual Social Justice Index Report, detailing falling levels of social justice – a category involving various measures such as poverty, labor market access, health, and social cohesion – within the European Union. The report found that social injustice appears to be rising, although the rate of the increase has slowed since its peak between 2012 and 2014. However the report indicates that while social justice levels are not expected to fall further,  it concludes that “no comprehensive turnaround is evident.”

The report also examined several significant divides between various European groups, notably between northern and southern Europe, and between young and old.

Although northern European countries – such as Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands – have experienced an overall decline in social justice since 2008, their declines have been much less dramatic than those of southern countries including Spain, Portugal, and Greece.

The report also found rising risk of youth poverty, specially noting that “social conditions for children and youth have deteriorated since 2007/8.” Since 2007, the percentage of children and youth in Europe at risk of poverty or social exclusion – variables that are reported together – has increased from 26.4 to 27.9 percent, with much higher percentages in countries such as Greece, with 36.7 percent.

Likewise, the percentage of older people at risk of poverty has decreased from 24.4 percent to 17.8 percent. Countries such as France are hoping that the report will inspire improvement to the European “war against poverty.”