Photo : Ava Coplott/ Euronews
23 August 2024, Friday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #918
By Advik S Mohan and Samruddhi Pathak
THE EU
Household expenditure highest in Ireland, Spain and Italy
On 20 August, Euro News published an article looking into the increases in household expenditure over the past two decades in Europe. Figures by the database EuroStat show that expenditure on housing, water, electricity, and gas accounts for 24.1 per cent of household consumption in the EU in 2022. The expenditure on housing, water, electricity, and gas category includes housing costs for both renters and non-renters, costs of housing maintenance and repairs, water supply and other services, electricity, gas, and other fuels. Additionally, household expenditure has increased from 21.1 in 2002 to 24.1 per cent in 2022, due to the rising costs of living. While the housing expenditure increase is less than the health expenditure increase (14 per cent and 22 per cent respectively) the impact of the increase in housing prices is much more due to more housing expenses. The rising costs of living in the EU can be shown through the fact that the household spending percentage on housing and utilities has increased over time, reaching a peak of 25.6 per cent in 2020 during the COVID-19. There is a disparity in the increase by percentage points between 2002 and 2022 in the share of housing, water, electricity and gas in EU household expenditure. Ireland saw the biggest increase at 7.7 percentage points followed by Spain and Italy at 6.3 and 5.4. However, countries like Romania and Serbia saw a decrease in expenditure, such as a 4.1 reduction in percentage points for Romania, and a 3.6 reduction for Serbia. There also exist variations in terms of expenditure on housing, water, electricity, gas by countries as a part of overall household expenditure. Slovakia spent the most in 2022, with 30 per cent of its expenditure on this, followed by Finland and Denmark with 29.1 per cent and 26.1 per cent. However, countries in Southern and Eastern Europe like Montenegro and Turkey spent much less (11.6 and 12.4 per cent) indicating that they are less affected by rising living costs than Northern and Central Europe are. Another way to gauge the impact of the cost-of-living increase is through the report by the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which shows that lower-income households face more burden due to rising housing costs. For instance, 49 per cent of low-income private tenants in the UK spent over 40 per cent of their income on rent, 32 per cent in France and 28 per cent in Italy did so. (Servet Yanatma, “Housing expenditures surge in the EU:Which countries saw the largest increase?” Euro News, 20 August 2024)
Fulfils gas storage target ahead of the schedule
On 22 August, Euronews informed that the European Union (EU) had reached its target of filling up the winter gas storage capacity to 90 per cent weeks ahead of schedule. According to the European Commission, the target was reached on 18 August, ten weeks before the 1 November deadline. The nearly 92 billion cubic metres of gas present in the stocks can make up for almost a third of the combined winter gas demand of the 27 EU states. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has drastically reduced gas imports from Russia; with national governments across the bloc taking the responsibility of assuring households. A 300 billion EUR worth programme called RePower EU was also launched by the EU, as part of the shift towards renewable energy. This is the second year in a row that the EU has reached the target ahead of schedule, with a spokesperson for the Commission calling it a good sign of the EU’s ability to find alternative energy supplies. (“EU reaches its winter gas shortage target weeks ahead of schedule,” Euro News, 22 August 2024)
Multidimensional impact of overheating found in the Mediterranean
On 22 August, Euronews reported on the impact of rising temperatures in the seas, on areas beyond just marine biodiversity. For the past few years, the Mediterranean Sea has been a hotspot for climate change, with temperatures there heating beyond the global average Ocean temperatures have remained exceptionally high, causing a marine heatwave which has led to mass mortality in many marine species like corals. Apart from the local organisms, communities dependent on the sea for their livelihoods such as fish farmers and fishermen have struggled, due to the impact of excessive heat on the local flora and fauna. About EUR 400 billion is generated from the Mediterranean’s ocean-related activities every year, but climate change has put a shadow over this. High temperatures in the ocean can also lead to storms and increase temperatures on land; something countries in Southern Europe like Italy have been enduring. Karina von Schuckmann, an oceanographer for research institute Mercator Ocean International stated that societies need to focus on adapting to and mitigating climate change impacts since the after-effects of warming oceans will reverberate for long. (Rosie Frost, “Lost income, less tourists and freak weather: Overheated seas affect far more than just marine life,” Euro News, 22 August 2024)
European Parliament faces questions after complaints of data breach
On 22 August, NOYB-European Centre for Digital Rights, a non-profit organization focusing on privacy violations announced that it had filed two complaints alleging that the European Parliament had violated the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Back in May, data on 8000 applicants for temporary positions like contractual agents had been breached, with NOYB focusing on the mishandling of information leading to the breach. According to NOYB, the breach made use of ‘PEOPLE’, an external application controlled by the human resources service of the European Parliament, which had access to sensitive data about individuals, like their IDs, passports, marriage certificates, residence documents. Reports suggest that the data had been compromised for months, and the cause of the breach remains unidentified. NOYB has also called out the Parliament for its refusal to delete data after a formal request by a complainant. If the EDPS finds the Parliament guilty of infringing the GDPR, then measures like suspending data flows could be imposed. ( Romane Armangau, “European Parliament under scrutiny after data breach complaints,” Euro News, 22 August 2024)
SWEDEN
Bear hunt faces pushback from animal rights campaigners
On 22 August, Euro News reported on the criticisms against Sweden’s hunting of brown bears. The Government of Sweden has approved killing 486 brown bears, which amounts to 20 per cent of the entire brown bear population. While the Swedish government has deemed bear hunting as essential to keep a predator species in check, some believe that it is a source of macho prestige for hunters and getting rid of threats to hunter targets like elk. Magnus Orrebrant, Chairman of the Swedish Carnivore Association stated that measures like using bear watching for countryside development and preventive measures to reduce damage would be better protections. Campaigners have also warned that the Swedish government’s campaign risks turning back progress made on brown bear conservation. Jonas Kindberg, leader of the Scandinavian Bear research project stated that killing both female and male bears indiscriminately would not contribute to a stable bear population. Licensed hunting is allowed in Sweden, leaving a loophole for hunters. ( Lottie Limb, “ ’We cannot continue to shoot this many’: Campaigners hit back at Sweden’s controversial bear hunt,” Euronews, 22 August 2024)
THE UK
Yellow warning issued due to Storm Lilian
On 22 August, the MET office of the UK issued yellow weather warnings for the residents of northern England. Heavy rains due to the storm might also lead to localised flooding in the region. August is not prone to named storms. The UK faced two named storms, Antoni and Betty, in 2023. Ellen and Francis hit the UK in 2020. As autumn season is also approaching, it is the season when jet streams, fast winds at higher altitude, can also redirect Atlantic winds towards the UK. Autumn is also the peak of hurricane season. On 21 August, some parts of the UK faced heavy rainfall due to residual winds from an ex-hurricane named Ernesto. Since Hurricanes form over warm waters, Atlantic countries are not prone to them. The temperature is expected to be lower than average for the upcoming weekend. (Simon King, “Storm Lilian: 80mph winds forecast for parts of the UK, BBC, 22 August 2024)