Youth in Greece

This short report aims to provide a synthesis of Eurofound data and analysis on the situation of young people in Greece. It draws upon existing Eurofound research that examined the issue of young people ‘not in employment, education or training’ (NEET). This research is particularly pertinent for Greece, which has been disproportionately affected by youth unemployment as a result of the economic crisis. Societal effects include the greater financial dependence of young people on the family income, and the delaying of family formation. The report finds that young people with a tertiary level of education, and young women looking for their first job are candidates for targeted policy action. In addition, the older NEET population (25–29 years) merits special attention

How are you doing, Europe? Mapping social imbalances in the EU

At the end of May, Europeans will elect a new Euro- pean Parliament and soon after a new European Commis- sion will begin its five-year mandate. The political chang- ing of the guard in the European Union (EU) comes at a time of economic recovery: per capita income has been growing by about two percent annually for the last three years, and growth has recently returned to every EU mem- ber state. Unemployment has been falling across the EU in the last year and now stands at an average of 6.7 per- cent – marking a new all-time low. It seems that Europe is doing well: the economic tide is rising and, for the first time since the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008, all boats are lifting

Social Situation of Young People in Europe

[Excerpt] European policy on the situation of young people is framed by the EU Youth Strategy 2010–2018, which has two overall objectives: to provide more and equal opportunities for young people in education and in the labour market; and to encourage young people to be active citizens and participate in society. The strategy is centred on eight activity fields, many of which reflect a broad social‑inclusion approach, including voluntary activities, health and well‑being and participation. This policy brief provides information on several of these dimensions

To the Crucible: An Irish engagement with the Greek crisis and the Greek left

A monumental drama is playing out before our eyes. It is a true Greek tragedy. The plot: A society is being pushed to its limits. The denouement is not yet determined, but survival is at stake and prospects are precarious. Greece is at the sharp end of a radical and risky experiment in how far accumulation by dispossession can go, how much expropriation can be endured, how far the state can be subordinated to the market. It is a global narrative, but the story is a few episodes ahead here. Greece is the crucible. It is a caldron where concentrated forces are colliding in a process that will bring forth either a reconfiguration of capitalism or the dawn of its demise

Labour Market and Social Policy in Italy: Challenges and Changes. Bertelsmann Policy Brief #2016/02

vEight years after the outbreak of the financial crisis, Italy has still to cope with and overcome a plethora of economic and social challenges. On top of this, it faces an unfavourable demographic structure and severe disparities between its northern and southern regions. Some promising reforms have recently been enacted, specifically targeting poverty and social exclusion. However, much more remains to be done on the way towards greater economic stability and widely shared prosperity

Winners and Losers of the Greek Crisis as a Result of a Double Fragmentation and Exclusion: A Discourse Analysis of Greek Civil Society

This article aims to explore, through the civil society’s opinion, the polarisation between ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ and the group of the ‘new excluded’, or ‘new poor’, that has emerged as a result of the European economic crisis and the social transformations that followed in the Greek society. Based on the Theory of Justice introduced by John Rawls (1971), and using the approach of Critical Discourse Analysis, this study focuses on the discourse analysis of the perception of 97 representatives of local and national NGOs, both formal and informal. The main results focus on different self and others’ presentations, especially during the economic crisis, and on the creation of an unbalanced, fragmented and exclusion-cantered society. However, the definition of rich and poor appears ambiguous through the analysis of various linguistic strategies of Greek NGOs revealing a hidden face of the societ

Social Justice in the EU – Index Report 2016 Social Inclusion Monitor Europe

1. Social justice in the EU – participation opportunities have improved in the majority of EU member states, but are still a long way behind precrisis levels Social justice has improved slightly in the majority of EU member states compared with last year’s Social Justice Index (SJI 2015). It appears that, after years of decline, the majority of countries reached their lowest point between 2012 and 2014. Whether the improvement is a genuine, stable turnaround or just a slight temporary easing will only become apparent in future reports. At least the downward trend observed since 2008 in terms of equal participation opportunities has halted in the majority of member states. However, even seven years after the global economic crisis first hit, participation opportunities in the vast majority of EU states – with a few exceptions – are still noticeably worse than before the crisis. Only five of the 28 EU countries – the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the UK, and Poland – are showing moderate improvements in terms of participation opportunities, compared with the situation before the economic and financial crisis

The Reality of the Refugee Crisis in Italy: A Look into the Lives of Illegitimate Refugees and the Unofficial Organizations That Support Them

The words written on the United States of America’s famous Statue of Liberty, written by poet Emma Lazarus over a century ago: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. . . . America and Europe alike have forgotten the sacred words that gave hope to so many 100 years ago. Many use phrases like “floods of people” or “swarms” to describe those who leave their countries for a life in the Western world. Which of the refugees welcomed into the most powerful country in the world were considered “real” refugees? Were they refugees or just “migrants”? It did not matter, as there was no need for a distinction under the policies of unlimited immigration. A refugee was once described as “someone who has been compelled to abandon his home” (Zolberg et al. 1989). This could have included victims of natural disasters, war, and political or religious persecution. Today, there is a narrower definition of what it means to be a refugee. As defined United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a refugee is a “person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country” (“Figures at a Glance”, 2017). This definition, the universally accepted definition of a refugee, is not satisfactory. It does not include victims of natural disaster, famine, or other events in which an individual cannot be held responsible for. For instance, on the UNHCR website there are 65.6 million displaced peoples who have been forced from their homes, while only 22.5 million are refugees known by the UNHCR, with only 189,300 resettled in 2016. What is difference between the 22.5 million and the other 43.1 million? The answer is simply a difference in labelling. 22.5 million are considered real, while the other 43.1 million are left behind. Those who have obtained official refugee status receive privileges that those without it do not have access to, such as quick admission to other countries, legal protections, and even extra financial or tangible benefits from the public sector. The UN’s definition of refugees is narrow, and many are denied official refugee status because they do not fall under it. This definition needs to be changed, and this paper will discuss both refugees recognized under UNHCR’s definition and international law, the “legal refugees” compared to those who do not fit the definition, the “false” refugees. Under the UNHCR definition, 55% of the world’s refugees come from South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria (2017). These are the highest levels of displaced peoples on record, and much higher off the record. This research is an honest look into the European Refugee Crisis, examining how illegitimate refugees are disproportionately advantaged compared to those we deem officially recognized refugees, and how policies, public sentiment, and the very definition of refugee must be changed to more positively affect refugees. The following questions will be discussed: How is Italy, and the entirety of the European Union, handling the greatest refugee crisis of our time? How can Italy prevail against these overwhelming odds? Why are only some refugees “legal” and much more considered “false”? Does the definition of a refugee need to be changed? How does the EU need to adapt to this crisis, and how can they assist Italy and other southern states further? This research will focus on refugees’ journeys both to the country of Italy and attempts to go throughout Europe. There is a marked difference between these two processes, and the research will briefly look at the “clean” resettlement process through the UNHCR, and then look at the reality of the refugee crisis for countries geographically closer to the source, specifically Italy and the rest of Europe. Then economic benefits of refugees will be presented, as well as the crisis in Italy of the “migration business”. A large portion of this research project will be grounded in primary research, with secondary sources to supplement my first-hand experiences. Europe has left the Mediterranean states behind, abandoning them with heavy refugee flows and incredibly limited methods of assisting refugees. The southern states have the bulk of the burden, and the rest of the European Union must assist these countries or they will crumble