The number of workers at risk of in-work poverty has increased in 16 countries in the European Union. In response to this, the European Trade Union Confederation is calling for the European Commission’s Minimum Wage directive to prohibit the setting of such wages below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold.
The EU’s vaccine distribution delays could be solved through voluntary collaborations established by pharmaceutical giants. However, civil society and several EU countries are calling for the liberalization of patents, to be able to independently produce doses and ensure vaccine coverage for the largest possible number of people. The second part of Stefano Valentino’s report on the monopolistic practices of pharmaceutical companies.
When it was rumoured that banknotes could be spreading the coronavirus, banks that teamed up with card networks rubbed their hands with glee. Mastercard, Visa or the Internet giants like Google Pay or Apple Pay saw a unique opportunity to convince consumers to use their technology. Overnight, merchants in most European countries allowed card purchases for amounts that were sometimes less than one euro, with lower transaction fees, while supermarkets encouraged customers to pay for their groceries through contactless payment.
The European Union shifts between defending citizens’ health and defending pharmaceutical industry monopoly by opposing the liberalization of vaccine production. This might only delay achieving the immunisation necessary for economic recovery. We delve into this issue in a three-part investigation.
Clara Guibourg, data journalist at Journalism++/Newsworthy, contributed to EDJNet’s coverage of COVID-19 with an investigation on excess deaths in Europe. In this video, she presents how she approached the subject starting from summer 2020, including the type and limits of the various sources. She also points at some of the most interesting findings of their work, which was notable both for its scope (most of Europe was covered) and for its scale (data on excess deaths refers to regions).
EU countries have reallocated €3.8 billion of EU structural funds away from climate action to enable a rapid response to the Covid-19 crisis. However, the European Commission hopes that the incoming fresh cash will reverse that trend.
Last year, more than half of the alerts issued by the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed concerned products from non-EU countries. If these countries are unable to adapt their production chains to EU food safety regulations over the next few years, the risks to European citizens will continue to grow.
Ángela Bernardo, data journalist at Civio, coordinated EDJNet’s large investigation on access to mental health care in Europe. In this video, she presents how her team approached the subject and what were some of the most interesting findings of their work. Mental health care, including both psychological and psychiatric care, is critical to the wellbeing of plenty of people, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic – yet access to treatment is not always easy, especially in the public sector.
A detailed account of the steps, choices, and methods that led to EDJNet’s investigation on the availability of psychological treatment in the public healthcare systems in Europe. The investigation was run by Civio and it was published in March 2021.
In many European countries, the availability of psychological treatment in the public healthcare system is inadequate or even non-existent. Barriers such as long waiting lists, co-payments and inadequate resources push people with anxiety or depression – those who can afford it – to the private system.
