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'Recovery in the European Union is gaining ground'. With this message, EU commissioner
Olli Rehn launched the bloc's winter economic forecast, showing higher growth in Europe
than previously expected.
Speaking at the European Parliament on Tuesday, Rehn said that the 18 eurozone countries would
grow by 1.2% this year and 1.8% in 2015.
But warning that signs of recovery are still 'modest', Rehn also highlighted that unemployment
across the bloc remains too high.
All EU economies are expected to be growing again by next year. All in all, the worst
of the crisis may be behind us, but this is not an invitation to be complacent.
Recovery in the European Union is gaining ground and spreading across countries, although
it remains still modest. It is good news that economic activity has also started to strengthen
in the vulnerable countries. The differences in growth rates between countries are projected
to narrow in this period of 2014-2015.
While the Commission insists that the eurozone is gradually recovering from its worst crisis
in decades, MEPs criticized that the current economic reform policies are increasing inequalities across Europe
Mr Rehn we are all for the Semester and coordination of economic and social policies across Europe
. The Semester is an essential tool, but it is targeted solely to two objectives, reducing
public spending and the cost of labour and that means reducing incomes and the social
protection. Do you think seriously that is going to get us out of the crisis?
How can we speak of improvement when Growth in 2013 was 0? and with 27 million unemployed
people in Europe, one out of 5 young people are unemployed, can we speak of improvement
Mr Barroso when we have 24% of Europeans homes on the verge of the poverty line and social exclusion
According to the Commission, a steady expansion
driven by domestic demand is expected in Germany, but France, the Netherlands and Italy will
only see a mild economic recovery.