EU Population Research Articles

The epidemiology of oral cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Italy: Incidence, survival, prevalence.

Despite novel treatment approaches, oral cancer survival has not improved significantly and the disease often presents a disabling path for patients. The aim of this work was to describe the epidemiological data of oral cancers in a province of northern Italy. Incident cases in the period 1996–2020 and EU population standardized rates were reported for Oral Cavity cancer (OC) and OroPharyngeal cancer (OP). Annual percent changes (APC) were estimated with joint point analysis. The 5-year survival was calculated in three different periods: 1996–2000, 2001–2010 and 2011–2015. From 1996 to 2020, 771 cases of oral cancers (442 OC and 329 OP) were recorded with the age-standardized incidence rate 7.28 (10.74 in males and 3.97 in females): 3.82 for OC and 3.47 for OP. In males there is a significant increase in the incidence of OP up to 2017 (APC 11; 95% CI, 4.9–17.5), which then decreases; in females the rates are constant. In 2020 (the era of Covid-19), we did not see a decline in incidence compared to 2019. The 5-year survival (for cases diagnosed in 2011–2015) was 55.6%, 56.5% and 56% for OC, OP and OC + OP, respectively; it was somewhat higher in females and was undergoing some changes over the course of years. The number of prevalent cases as of 1 January 2021 is 314 (175 OC, 139 OP). The study showed a decline in cancers in men, particularly for OP; survival shows improvement in the long-term examined; Covid-19 had no negative impact on 2020 diagnoses.

Gender and Public Perception of Disasters: A Multiple Hazards Exploratory Study of EU Citizens

Aim: To explore gender influence on individual risk perception of multiple hazards and personal attitudes towards disaster preparedness across EU citizens. Method: An online survey was distributed to 2485 participants from Spain, France, Poland, Sweden and Italy. The survey was divided into two parts. The first part examined perceived likelihood (L), perceived personal impact (I) and perceived self-efficacy (E) towards disasters due to extreme weather conditions (flood, landslide and storm), fire, earthquake, hazardous materials accidents, and terrorist attacks. The overall risk rating for each specific hazard was measured through the following equation R = (L × I)/E and the resulting scores were brought into the range between 0 and 1. The second part explored people’s reactions to the Pros and Cons of preparedness to compute the overall attitudes of respondents towards preparation (expressed as a ratio between −1 and 1). Results: Although we found gender variations on concerns expressed as the likelihood of the occurrence, personal consequences and self-efficacy, the overall risks were judged significantly higher by females in all hazards (p < 0.01). We also found that, in general, most respondents (both males and females) were in favour of preparedness. More importantly, despite the gender differences in risk perception, there were no significant differences in the attitudes towards preparedness. We found weak correlations between risks perceived and attitudes towards preparedness (rho < 0.20). The intersectional analysis showed that young and adult females perceived higher risks than their gender counterparts at the same age. There were also gender differences in preparedness, i.e., females in higher age ranges are more motivated for preparedness than men in lower age ranges. We also found that risk perception for all hazards in females was significantly higher than in males at the same education level. We found no significant differences between sub-groups in the pros and cons of getting ready for disasters. However, females at a higher level of education have more positive attitudes towards preparedness. Conclusions: This study suggests that gender along with other intersecting factors (e.g., age and education) still shape differences in risk perception and attitudes towards disasters across the EU population. Overall, the presented results policy actions focus on promoting specific DRR policies and practices (bottom-up participatory and learning processes) through interventions oriented to specific target groups from a gender perspective.

1252-P: The Comparison of One-Year Prevalence of Anti-Influenza Vaccination among Czech, Slovak, and EU Patients with Diabetes

Background: Influenza infection represents a significant health problem associated with multiple complications including death. Patients with diabetes are more threatened by severe course of influenza in comparison with non-diabetic population. Anti-influenza vaccination is a key preventive measurement. The study compares one-year (2013-2014) prevalence of anti-influenza vaccination in the Czech, Slovak and EU population with regard to diabetes. Methods: A sample of Czech (4441 participants, 16%/725 persons with diabetes, 42% men) and Slovak population (3446 participants, 12%/413 persons with diabetes, 41% men) ≥ 45 years of age from European Health Interview Survey 2014 (EHIS) . The data was collected from interviews. The diagnosis of diabetes was based on the self-report of the participants. Student´s t- test and X2 test were used for statistical analyses. Results: One year prevalence of anti-influenza vaccination in Czechia was 12.4/17/11.6% (whole group, diabetic group, non-diabetic group) , in Slovakia 13/16.7/8.9% (NS) and in average in the European Union 24.7/41/22.5%. In subanalyses according to age, significant difference of one-year prevalence of anti-influenza vaccination was observed only in the age category ≥ 75 years (15.7% in Czechia vs. 24.1% in Slovakia, p = 0.05) . Furthermore, no differences in vaccination prevalence were found in regard to comorbidities (bronchial asthma, COPD, cardiovascular diseases) , family income, education, presence of obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking between Czech and Slovak patients with diabetes. Conclusions: Czech and Slovak diabetic patients 45+ reveal low anti-influenza vaccination prevalence as compared to average in EU. There were no differences in vaccination prevalence between Czech and Slovak diabetic patients according to age subgroups, except for the very old. Surprisingly, there were no differences in the vaccination prevalence according to the presence of other comorbidities. Disclosure L.Brunerova: None. M.Lustigova: None. L.Novak: None. J.Urbanová: Advisory Panel; Lilly. A.Smejkalova: None. J.Broz: None. Funding Progres Q36.MH CZ - DRO (“Kralovske Vinohrady University Hospital - FNKV, 00064173”)

COVID-19 Effects on Geriatric Population and Failures of Aminoquinoline Therapy: Compilation of Studies from EU, USA, and China; Safety and Efficacy of Vaccines in the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19.

Mortality of the older adult population suffering from COVID-19 has been increasing at an alarming rate, and people older than 76 years of age reported 18% mortality. Mainly, the EU and USA exhibited a greater fatality rate due to lack of selective immunization and anti-SARS Co-V-2 therapeutics. Very limited reports are available to delineate the impact of COVID-19 on the geriatric population and the failures of aminoquinoline therapy. We performed a substantial literature review in the PubMed/Medline databases to extract the information pertaining to the COVID-19 impact on the geriatric population and recent failures of aminoquinoline therapy in COVID-19 patients of EU, China, USA and the requirement of vaccination. Both parental strains and mutant variants of SARS Co-V-2 can induce severe respiratory complications, multiorgan failure, and clotting abnormalities in older adults due to low immunocompetence. Aminoquinoline derivatives, such as chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), are preferred primarily for COVID-19 treatment, but several controversies are being reported for its usage worldwide. In this review, we have provided the effects of COVID-19 on the geriatric population of EU and an overview of the mechanism of action of aminoquinolines. Furthermore, CQ and HCQ are not the preferred choice of drugs if the COVID-19 patients already have existing co-morbid conditions viz., diabetes mellitus and hypertension. A new advent of COVID-19 vaccines, such as nucleic acid-based (DNA/mRNA) vaccines, protein subunit vaccines, viral vector vaccines, and inactivated vaccines, have been developed for treating SARS-CoV-2 infection after the failure of aminoquinoline therapy in EU, China, and USA patients. However, some of the vaccines are yet to be examined against mutant strains of SARS CoV-2 that originated in the UK, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, and India.

Chemical Mixtures in the EU Population: Composition and Potential Risks.

Regulating chemical mixtures is a complex scientific and policy task. The aim of this study was to investigate typical mixtures and their potential risks based on internal exposure levels in the European population. Based on human biomonitoring (HBM) data made available via the HBM4EU project, we derived generic mixtures representative of a median (P50) and a worst-case scenario (P95) for adults and children. We performed a mixture risk assessment based on HBM concentrations, health-based guidance values (HBGVs) as internal thresholds of concern, and the conservative assumption of concentration addition applied across different toxicological endpoints. Maximum cumulative ratios (MCRs) were calculated to characterize the mixture risk. The mixtures comprise 136 biomarkers for adults and 84 for children, although concentration levels could be quantified only for a fraction of these. Due to limited availability of HBGVs, the mixture risk was assessed for a subset of 20 substance-biomarker pairs for adults and 17 for children. The mixture hazard index ranged from 2.8 (P50, children) to 9.2 (P95, adults). Six to seven substances contributed to over 95% of the total risk. MCR values ranged between 2.6 and 5.5, which is in a similar range as in previous studies based on human external exposures assessments. The limited coverage of substances included in the calculations and the application of a hazard index across toxicological endpoints argue for caution in the interpretation of the results. Nonetheless the analyses of MCR and MAFceiling can help inform a possible mixture assessment factor (MAF) applicable to single substance risk assessment to account for exposure to unintentional mixtures.

A post‐national EU diaspora? Political mobilization of EU citizens in the UK post‐Brexit

AbstractThis article analyses the political engagement and mobilization of the EU citizens post‐Brexit and investigates the extent to which these have led to the creation of an EU diaspora in the UK. Qualitative research took place in Liverpool and Southport–two different localities in the North West of the UK that have attracted EU citizens of different demographics. The project included participants from 18 EU different countries, which afforded the investigation of dynamics and different positionalities within the EU population in the UK. These positionalities, the findings show, are broadly organized around a typology that is underpinned by the (geo)politics of the EU: national and regional stances; EU‐oriented stances; non‐alignment. While Brexit triggered a stronger European identity and mobilization on the basis of it, the orientation toward, and investment in, the EU diasporic mobilization among EU citizens differs due to these positionalities. The findings, therefore, point toward the creation of a post‐national EU diaspora in the UK, but also identify the strength of national and regional identities, which could indicate the development of different gravity diaspora points in future, nested in the EU diaspora. The differences in demographics and social capital within the EU citizens population across the UK have implications for local dimensions of the EU diaspora and its impact and legacy in the medium and long term.

The European Union: on the Path to Linguistic Equality or Hidden Language Monopoly?

The article discusses the use of diff erent languages in the development of documents in the institutions of the European Union. It is explored by measuring various aspects of competition between languages. Measuring instruments are the polylingualism coeffi cient, the language integration index and the index of language monopolization. The purpose of the article is to determine the impact of integration processes in the European Union on the competition of languages and to assess the using of languages in the production of original documents in the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union, as well as in the proceedings of the Court of Justice of the EU. The linguistic capital of the population of the Union is also assessed on the basis of the proposed author’s original methodology. The results of the research show that there is a strong trend towards an increase in language monopolization in all of the above mentioned EU institutions. The diff erence is that EU judges favor the French language, while the European bureaucracy prefers English. The author thinks that the EU member states that joined European integration after 2005 is a serious factor. They hastened the monopolization of the English language. The EU population aged 15 and over shows the opposite trend. Their level of linguistic competition was growing. The reasons for this were the recent waves of expansion of the Union and migration. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that the conditions for the growth of language competition have changed in the EU. If by 2000 it took place in the environment of stable bilingualism of the population of the Union, then in 2005 and 2012 it is characterized by the dominance of monolingualism with trends of its further growth. The European bureaucracy can continue to strengthen the economic motivation for learning English and position it as “minimally ethnized” and the only intercultural communication medium in the EU. In this sense, Brexit is more likely to be a factor not so much weakening as a further strengthening of the competitive position of the English language in the Union.

Is Mandatory Vaccination in Population over 60 Adequate to Control the COVID-19 Pandemic in E.U.?

Vaccine hesitancy, which potentially leads to the refusal or delayed acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines, is considered a key driver of the increasing death toll from the pandemic in the EU. The European Commission and several member states’ governments are either planning or have already directly or indirectly announced mandatory vaccination for individuals aged over 60, the group which has repeatedly proved to be the most vulnerable. In this paper, an assessment of this strategy’s benefits is attempted by deriving a metric for the potential gains of vaccination mandates that can be used to compare EU member states. This is completed by examining the reduction in Standard Expected Years of Life Lost (SEYLL) per person for the EU population over 60 as a function of the member states’ vaccination percentage in these ages. The publicly available data and results of the second iteration of the SHARE COVID-19 survey on the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines, conducted during the summer of 2021, are used as inputs.

Health and Well-Being of Refugee Children and Adolescents

Health and Well-Being of Refugee Children and Adolescents

How economic indicators impact the EU internal demand for critical raw materials

To be able to better predict future demand for critical raw materials, to better negotiate trade agreements or to better stimulate the extraction of such raw materials, we investigate how economic indicators (raw material average annual price, EU GDP at purchasing power parity, cumulative EU inflation, and EU population) impact the EU internal demand for 11 raw materials in the period from 1994 to 2012.The results show that none of the critical raw materials has an identical trend in the development of internal EU demand with any economic indicator. There is a strong correlation between some of the factors studied and the internal EU demand for magnesite, tungsten, silicon (metal), chromium, and cobalt. The results also show that for most critical raw materials the correlation between the price of a critical raw material and its internal EU demand is lower than between other economic indicators and internal EU demand for certain critical raw material. This finding is consistent with economic theory indicating that the price is not a determinant of demand, but influences the quantity demanded. The demand curve shifts due to other factors and it can be observed in our findings on silicon (metal) element. The correlation between silicon (metal) demand and economic indicators such as cumulative EU inflation, the EU population and EU GDP are very high suggesting that this element is the most appropriate critical raw material to predict its internal EU demand. Using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, the research results show that correlation between EU internal demand for critical raw materials and its economic indicators is positively affected by the volatility of this demand but negatively affected by its average value during reference period. The results may also be important with regard to recycling activities and identifying investment needs to alleviate Europe's reliance on imports of raw materials.

RESTORE Survey on the Public Perception of Advanced Therapies and ATMPs in Europe-Why the European Union Should Invest More!

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are potential game changers in modern medical care with an anticipated major impact for patients and society. They are a new drug class often referred to as “living drugs,” and are based on complex components such as vectors, cells and even tissues. The production of such ATMPs involves innovative biotechnological methods. In this survey, we have assessed the perception of European citizens regarding ATMPs and health care in Europe, in relation to other important topics, such as safety and security, data protection, climate friendly energy supply, migration, and others. A crucial question was to determine to what extent European citizens wish to support public funding of innovations in healthcare and reimbursement strategies for ATMPs. To answer this, we conducted an online survey in 13 European countries (representative of 85.3% of the entire EU population including the UK in 2020), surveying a total of 7,062 European citizens. The survey was representative with respect to adult age groups and gender in each country. Healthcare had the highest ranking among important societal topics. We found that 83% of the surveyed EU citizens were in support of more public funding of technologies in the field of ATMPs. Interestingly, 74% of respondents are in support of cross-border healthcare for patients with rare diseases to receive ATMP treatments and 61% support the reimbursement of very expensive ATMPs within the European health care system despite the current lack of long-term efficacy data. In conclusion, healthcare is a top ranking issue for European Citizens, who additionally support funding of new technologies to enable the wider application of ATMPs in Europe.

Towards the EU Green Deal: Local key factors to achieve ambitious 2030 climate targets

Cities representing more than one third of the EU population have already developed their mitigation action plans with the support of the Covenant of Mayors initiative. This study digs into the drivers leading European cities in setting ambitious GHG reduction targets by 2030. A total number of 246 local action plans, accepted in the Covenant of Mayors initiative, were evaluated, and ambitious municipalities (with reduction targets over 50%) were compared against those committing to regular targets (40–50%).Results show that the key factor enabling a higher climate ambition in cities is to develop local mitigation actions in line with the results of the baseline emission inventory, focusing on implementing actions in the most emitting sectors of activity. Furthermore, the study reveals the abilities of specific cities to set highly ambitious mitigation targets: to municipalise energy facilities increasing renewable energy production, and to be able of developing mitigation actions even tackling highly emitting sectors (e.g., transport) that traditionally are not under the competence of local governments.The study also shows other easy-to-reach solutions that every local authority can take into account to increase its ambition such as developing in-house action plans and conducting a deep stakeholder engagement and participatory processes from the initial stage of the action plan development.

The Level of Housing Conditions in the EU Countries

Purpose: This article mainly aims to assess the level and identify the differences in terms of housing conditions of the EU population in 2008 and 2019. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was based on empirical data obtained from Eurostat, which were processed using basic descriptive statistics methods and taxonomic methods. The presented study required conducting empirical research to achieve the main research objective and to answer research questions. The empirical research consisted of two stages including unidimensional and multidimensional (synthetic) analyses. In the first stage of the research using basic descriptive statistics methods, the level and diversity of housing conditions of the EU population were assessed based on the analysis of selected indicators. In the second stage of the research, due to the complex nature of the studied phenomenon, the selected model method of construction of the synthetic measure was used for assessing the level and diversity of housing conditions of the EU population. Findings: The study reveals that during the period under review there was a significant improvement and reduction in disproportions concerning the level of housing conditions of the EU population. The highest level of housing conditions was observed in Finland, while the lowest in Greece. The level of housing conditions is significantly higher in the Central Western European and Scandinavian countries. Practical Implications: The results of the conducted empirical research are of both cognitive and applied nature to create an appropriate cohesion policy in the European Union. The implementation of cohesion policy in the EU is not possible without efforts to reduce economic poverty, including housing poverty. Therefore, it is of great importance to monitor the level of housing conditions in each country to create appropriate social policies. Originality/value: The results of the conducted research and of theoretical considerations included in this article complement previous research in the field of the assessment of living standards and housing conditions of the EU population.

Simulating language knowledge across the EU: language regimes, language learning and consequences for linguistic disenfranchisement

The objective of this paper is to develop an simulation model able to test different language education orientations and their consequences for the EU population in terms of linguistic disenfranchisement, that is, the inability of citizens to understand EU documents and parliamentary discussions should their native language(s) no longer be official. I will focus on the impact of linguistic distance and language learning. Ideally, this model would be a tool to help EU policy makers make informed decisions about language practices and education policies, taking into account their consequences in terms of diversity and linguistic disenfranchisement. The model can be used to force agents to make certain choices in terms of language skills acquisition. The user can then go on to compare different scenarios in which language skills are acquired according to different rationales. The idea is that, by forcing agents to adopt certain language learning strategies, the model user can simulate policies promoting the acquisition of language skills and get an idea of their impact. In this way, the model allows not only to sketch various scenarios of the evolution of language skills among EU citizens, but also to estimate the level of disenfranchisement in each of these scenarios.

Actual Issues of Forensic Activities in Ukraine and the Possibility of Implementing International Standards of the Industry in the Ukrainian Legislation

International standards exist in any field of legal regulation however, they are mostly identified with standards that regulate the technical sphere, since they are the most common ones. Nonetheless, today it is hard to imagine any area of public life withno generally recognized international standards. European legal standards are formed within the framework of the two most regional international associations –the Council of Europe and the European Union. The Council of Europe sets, first of all, standards in the humanitarian sphere: human rights, environment protection, and constitutional law, which is determined by the goals and purpose of its functioning. The European Union (hereinafter referred to as the EU) using directives, regulations, and other legal acts sets standards for most areas of the EU population's life. It should be noted it is during the development of 'standardization' in the European law that specific development of public relations in the EU takes place. Defining the EU legal standardas a separate category of norms of the European law, it is noteworthy that this term is used in a broad sense as a 'legal standard' and incorporates such elements as the general principles of the EU law and the 'common values' of the EU –they relate to people, environment, economic issues, and so on. The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950 is a classic example of their implementation. In a narrow sense, this term has a specific meaning and does not coincidewith the concept of 'legal standard', e.g. these are standards in the technical field that are adopted by the European Committee for Standardization, that is, in its content, it is a technical publication that is used as a norm, rule, guide or definition.Therefore, they relate to products, services, or systems and are the basis for convergence and interaction within the growing market of various business sectors. Today, in international law de facto there is a system of standards that regulate various aspects of international relations.

Metacognitive Therapy for Work-Related Stress: A Feasibility Study

About 25% of EU workers experience work-related stress for all or most of their working time, showing that work-related stress is a major cause of health problems for the EU population. This situation has been worsened even more by the COVID-19 restrictions embraced by employers worldwide. However, a timely and sustainable intervention protocol for treating such issues has not been developed yet. Thus, the present research shows a first effective attempt based on Metacognitive therapy (MCT) to solve this issue. MCT was practiced on four individuals suffering from chronic work-related stress. Primary outcome variables were general mental health, perceived stress, and blood pressure. Participants were assessed at multiple baselines before the start of therapy and then attended a 3- and 6-months follow-up after treatment termination. Results showed significant improvements in general mental health, perceived stress, and blood pressure in each client. Secondary outcome variables improved too—maladaptive coping strategies, avoidance behaviors, and depression symptoms—corroborating the main findings. At 3- and 6-month follow-up, results were maintained. The findings suggest that MCT might be a promising and sustainable intervention for work-related stress, although a metacognitive model for stress and large-scale RCTs need to be developed and carried out to further explore the effect of MCT on stress. Our results represent one of the first attempts to treat work-related stress via Metacognitive Therapy and support the feasibility of the treatment, both in terms of its efficacy and sustainability, in a historical moment in which work-related stress is increased worldwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within such a realm, our feasibility study should be followed by larger and controlled studies that, if successful, would provide various stakeholders—including organizational and institutional decision-makers—with a solid, timely and cost-effective method to help the workforce coping with work-related stress.

The EU Market in Times of a Global State of Emergency: Internal and External Trade Barriers in the Age of Pandemics

This article explores the immediate reaction of the EU and its Member States to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Europe in terms of trade restrictions. Almost all Member States adopted export control measures on personal protective equipment (PPE) essential to combat the pandemic in order to preserve it for the domestic market. The trade barriers affected the intra-EU trade as well as the external trade with third countries. The article explores whether and to what extent these restrictive measures on exports within the internal market may be justified on grounds of the protection of health and life of humans, as allowed by Article 36 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). It will be argued that the consolidated case law justifying a Member State facing health emergencies to adopt restrictive measures to protect the population on its territory is not suitable in case of pandemics. The degree of market integration and the rising concept of health solidarity as an EU objective allow a different interpretation of the health exception assuming as term of reference the whole EU population. The article further analyses the export authorization scheme adopted by the Commission to allow restrictions on exports of PPE to third countries in case of shortages in essential goods in the Union. The article concludes by suggesting a preventive EU mechanism of control of intra-EU export restrictions in case of serious cross-border threats to health, similar to the export authorization scheme for extra EU exports, in order to avoid unilateral and disjointed responses by Member States in the future. COVID-19 crisis, European Union response, Export control measures, Public health exception to free movement of goods, Member States general interest, Health solidarity in the EU, External trade restrictions, Export authorization schemes.

Eliminating HPV-caused cancers in Europe: Achieving the possible

The 690,000 cases of cancer caused worldwide each year by HPV (human papillomavirus) are among the easiest of all cancers to prevent. However, the actions so far taken in terms of both policy and practice by health systems in many European states have neither matched the scale of the problem nor seized the opportunities for disease prevention potentially offered by vaccination and screening. Treatments for HPV-caused cancers are also inequitably provided across the region and widespread misinformation about HPV undermines efforts to improve public health. The European Cancer Organisation's HPV Action Network has made the case for action for the elimination of all the cancers caused by HPV through gender-neutral vaccination, effective cervical cancer screening, better quality treatments, and public and professional education across Europe. The World Health Organisation's new global strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer (launched in November 2020), together with Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (February 2021), together provide a major opportunity to tackle decisively all the cancers caused by HPV. The Beating Cancer Plan, which was significantly influenced by evidence provided by the HPV Action Network, commits to supporting EU member states' efforts to extend routine vaccination of girls and boys and to creating a new EU-supported Cancer Screening Scheme to help Member States ensure that 90% of the EU population who qualify for cervical cancer screening are offered it by 2025. The goal of HPV cancer elimination is now both possible and achievable. The challenge is to ensure implementation and delivery by EU member states and more widely across the European region.

EU az egészségügyért: az Európai Unió 4. Egészségügyi Cselekvési Programja

The European Commission proposed a new, ambitious health programme 2021-2027 in May 2020. The main aim of this EU4Health programme is to provide a significant contribution to the post-COVID-19 recovery by making the EU population healthier, strengthening the resilience of health systems, and promoting innovation in the health sector. The general objectives of the programme are to protect people in the Union from serious cross-border threats to health; to improve the availability in the Union of medicines, medical devices and other crisis relevant products, contribute to their affordability, and support innovation; to strengthen health systems and the healthcare workforce, including digital transformation and increasingly integrated and coordinated cooperation among the Member States, sustained implementation of best practices and data sharing, to increase the average level of public health.

Социально-экономические проблемы стран ЕС в начальный период пандемии

The article is devoted to the analysis of key social and economic problems in the EU countries during the initial period of the pandemic. Forced isolation amid the spread of the coronavirus contributed to the growth of domestic and domestic violence, manifestations of racism and xenophobia in the EU. Social discrimination manifested itself in the restriction of access to goods and services for people with Asian appearance. A negative factor was the statements of certain right-wing politicians, as well as a number of media outlets. The member states of the European Union sought to carry out proactive communication with the population of their countries, convincing the latter to use exclusively official information about the situation with the COVID 19 virus and taking steps to ensure the widespread presence of the opinion of the governance in the media and on the Internet. Due to the extraordinary circumstances, EU member states have resumed controls at their internal borders in an effort to ensure the safety of their citizens. Despite assurances from the European Commission that the restrictions would not affect the interests of the EU population and third-country nationals, in March 2020, tangible obstacles arose in the way of realizing the fundamental right to free movement. The first steps were taken to support the sectors of the economy and the employment market in the initial phase of the pandemic. Particular attention was paid to the state of affairs in the most vulnerable service sector. The employment market experienced serious shocks, which was reflected in the growth of unemployment in the EU countries. The measures taken by the authorities of the member states, in general, met the interests of workers, but encountered difficulties in the course of implementation.