Demographic change and health inequalities in the EU a cause for concern

Posted on
European Research Seriese 2026

The findings of ‘An End to Poverty in Europe’ show that whilst economic trends may present a particular picture, an analysis of social trends across EU Member States shows that the lived experience of many across the European Union is very different from headline economic statistics.  As the continent continues to deal with the consequences of ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, transatlantic trade instability, climate change and the emerging impacts of artificial intelligence, Ireland must make addressing social challenges and reasserting the social values of Europe a priority for the next six months.

 

Social challenges facing Europe

  • 13.3 million people are unemployed including 2.9 million young people aged under 25.
  • 4.2 million people long-term unemployed.
  • 72.1 million people living below the poverty line - of whom over 15.6 million are children (one fifth of Europe’s children are living in poverty).
  • A sizeable gender employment gap of 10 per cent persists.
  • Health outcomes in the EU remain disproportionately influenced by socioeconomic factors like occupation, education, age and location.  This is particularly acute in areas including cardiovascular disease and cancer care.
  • Health inequalities are now set to assume a high degree of urgency as EU Member States continue to grapple with the demographic and workforce challenges against a concerning backdrop of divergence and exclusion.

Priorities for the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

More than a decade of prioritising economic growth over social development has led to reduced trust, greater fragmentation, the perception that the EU is increasingly removed from the day-to-day struggles of its citizens, and erosion of the social contract. Failure to deliver on social aspects of policy, on reducing poverty and long-term unemployment and improving access to quality services, has fuelled disengagement, with severe implications for Europe.

Key priorities for Ireland’s EU presidency:

  • Ensure greater coherence of European policy. The EU Anti-Poverty Strategy must be mainstreamed into EU governance instruments including the European Semester, the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 in general and European Social Fund Plus Programme in particular. 
  • Address inappropriate EU governance structures that prohibit or inhibit legitimate investment by national governments including reform of the post-2024 EU fiscal rules to promote investment in social initiatives and wider sectors beyond the area of defence alone.
  • Build upon the current 2022 EU Adequate Minimum Wages Directive and 2023 Council Recommendation on Adequate Minimum Income to provide a binding framework regulating minimum workplace pay and conditions and social protection regimes.
  • Monitor and address poverty amongst sub-groups such as children, young people, vulnerable migrants, older people and working poor with enhanced data collection and monitoring mechanisms. 
  • Focus on youth unemployment: Youth unemployment continues to be a serious problem and the initial impact of AI is being borne out by a rise in youth unemployment. 
  • Support developments in the Social Economy. 
  • Improve representation: EU policy-making must engage meaningfully with stakeholders representing poorer people and those most at risk of exclusion. 
  • EU structural funds must be of a sufficient scale to make an impact to ensure significant progress is made in bridging the gap between the economic and social dimensions of policy. 
  • Adopt a Human Rights Strategy to prevent the violation of the human rights of Europe’s population. 
  • Enhance social protection and address the shortcomings of existing systems.

Recommendations

The recently launched EU Anti-Poverty Strategy must succeed if Europe is to survive and thrive. This ambition now needs to be backed up with real investment in a sustainable future, protecting people across the lifecycle from the very young to the very old and embracing those of all backgrounds. 

During its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Ireland has the opportunity to make the successful implementation of the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy a key priority.  This is essential if we are to preserve a strengthened vision of a ‘Social Europe’ where the citizen is at the heart of EU policy.