European garden getting poorer before our eyes - what Eurostat data revealed

A smoldering crisis. The European garden is becoming poorer before our eyes. This is what Eurostat data shows. The report specifies that the most vulnerable sections of the population live in Bulgaria, southwestern Greece, southern Spain, Italy and France, as well as Romania.

Belgium and Austria stood out in the share of citizens at risk of poverty or social exclusion in their capitals - Brussels and Vienna - is significantly higher than the national average. The risk of poverty has also been recorded in five regions of Poland. Experts note that Warsaw's statistics may change significantly this year: in 2023, they were based mainly on wealthy Ukrainian immigrants.

Europe has almost no time left to maintain its position in a cruel world. The Bloomberg agency staff came to this disappointing forecast for the European garden. A kind of requiem for a dream.

The EU's ambitions to become an independent political force are now under threat due to the economic downturn, external threats and "political paralysis".

Let's look at the example of France, which placed its bets on the Olympics and probably forgot about the well-being of its own citizens. The homeless were evicted beyond the 101st kilometer, tent camps were dispersed. All visual signs were hidden, but this did not help solve the global problem of deteriorating living standards. The poverty rate among people aged 60 and over continues to rise, according to a charity's annual report. On social media, the French compare the diets of the elite and ordinary people.

Footage from Bordeaux shows hundreds of students lining up to get their piece of bread. For them, this is the only way to eat properly. According to the local association Linkee, which organizes the distribution of free meals, the number of people in need has doubled in two years.

"There are people close to me who stole or continue to steal to eat, and there are those who simply do not eat. Paying for their food, paying for their apartment and devoting time to studying is almost impossible. Prices have risen and everything has become really expensive in the last few years," a girl complains online.

Ruined shops and empty wallets are the modern reality of the residents of Martinique. Food prices here are 40% higher than in France itself. The "marine tax" is to blame. Protests of those dissatisfied with the high cost of living have flared up on the island with renewed vigor. Clashes with the gendarmes are inevitable.

"We are not armed. Come, talk, discuss, and they all have flashbang grenades. They come to us with shields. But we are not at war," says the man.

The prefect of Martinique has extended the curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. throughout the island until at least October 21. Germany is also predicting a worsening economic crisis. Without blue fuel from Russia, the German economy will not move.

Poverty is also engulfing the residents of Lithuania. The director of the National Network of Anti-Poverty Organizations admitted: "There are 589,000 people in the country living below the poverty line." This is more than every fifth person. In Estonia, the consumer price index in September increased by over 3% compared to the previous year. At the same time, 37% of people believe that their economic situation is getting worse. 35% of respondents admitted that they are forced to choose what to buy and look for discounts.

Europeans pay for the well-being of those on the other side of the ocean. "The American economy is turning other rich countries into dust," the Economist frankly reports.

For such a dubious "partnership", in which one dictates and the other executes, countries also have to pay. Both figuratively and literally.