The coronavirus pandemic has instigated fears of economic uncertainty among various economic actors, including among consumers, distributors, and industry. However, the latest Eurostat figures show that confidence among economic actors is more or less holding up despite the health crisis.

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.

The opportunity gap for men and women is closing in many areas, but women are still losing out in the economy. In almost all countries men earn significantly more than women, they dominate companies’ boards of directors and politics. And, according to preliminary surveys, women are becoming even more disadvantaged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The latest ILO report shows that migrant workers have more precarious contacts and earn 13 percent less on average than domestic workers, for equal work. This gap is widening, and is particularly stark for female migrants.

Before the implementation of additional allocations such as the recovery fund, one of the first instruments put in place by the EU was the possibility for states to redirect their own European funds to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. Let's see how this process played out, in Italy and in other countries.

Using data from Eurostat, the European Trade Union Confederation has analysed the slow progress of EU countries in reducing the gender pay gap.