Skepticism surrounds new EU anti-poverty initiative
Jerome Hughes
Press TV, Brussels
The European Commission unveils plans to lift 15 million people in the EU out of poverty by 2030. The initiative has been met with skepticism given that previous targets relating to social exclusion were not met.
COVID-19 has compounded a problem that was already prevalent in the 27-nation European Union. Poverty affects a quarter of the bloc's citizens in one form or another. The so-called 'European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan' has just been presented.
A key element of the European Commission's plan is to modernize the EU's education systems. The aim is to lift 15 million people in the EU out of poverty by 2030. Similar targets were missed in the past.
The coronavirus has led to a surge in mental health issues in the EU due to lockdowns and rising unemployment, but unions say the psychological impact is also hitting those still in work.
Calls are being made on the European Commission to develop a strategy to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that could affect many of the bloc's 14.7 million front-line health workers, particularly those who have been administering care in the coronavirus hotspots.
Experts say the EU's slow vaccination rollout is allowing mutations of the virus to spread. The European Commission has been asked to respond.
At this point it's impossible to say precisely how many people in the EU have been vaccinated.
The European Commission has announced it will present plans, focusing on the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, on the 17th of this month.
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