EU moving in wrong direction, says thinktank

Europe must be seen as a social, and not just an economic project by those elected to the European Parliament next month, an independent thinktank has said.

Social Justice Ireland said the EU had been moving in the “wrong direction” since the economic crisis hit and has failed to meet targets on employment, poverty, and social inclusion.

In its Elections 2014 policy briefing, which is to be launched today, it says one third of working-age people across Europe are out of work and a fifth of young people are unemployed. It says there are 80m people with low or basic skills and 8% of workers live below the poverty line.