Source: Oxfam

Last year saw the biggest increase in billionaires in history, one more every two days. This huge increase could have ended global extreme poverty seven times over. 82% of all wealth created in the last year went to the top 1%, and nothing went to the bottom 50%.

Dangerous, poorly paid work for the many is supporting extreme wealth for the few. Women are in the worst work, and almost all the super-rich are men. Governments must create a more equal society by prioritizing ordinary workers and small-scale food producers instead of the rich and powerful.

Top political leaders

The Prime Minister lost the Parliament's vote on Brexit on January 15, 2019 by 432 to 202. The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has put forward a motion of no-confidence in the government that will be debated today.

Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text here below belong solely to Debout la France and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the AALEP.

"Une Europe des Nations autour de projets concrets servant les peuples.

Pour renouer avec la démocratie et la prospérité, pour enfin assumer son rôle de plus value au service des peuples, l'Europe doit enfin remplir deux objectifs :

Source: World Economic Forum, Executive Opinion Survey 2017-2018

[1 = extremely low; 7 = extremely high]

Authors: Dr Nicolai von Ondarza is Head of the EU/Europe Division at SWP, Felix Schenuit is Research Assistant of the EU/Europe Division at SWP.

• Un seuil de pauvreté à 1026 euros par mois: Selon l'Insee, le seuil de pauvreté monétaire en France s'élevait à 1026 euros par mois en 2016. Ce chiffre correspond à 60% du niveau de vie médian de la population. Le niveau de vie médian - qui sépare la population française en deux parts égales - était de 1710 euros par mois en 2016.

• 8,8 millions de pauvres: La France comptait 8,8 millions de pauvres en 2016, selon l'Insee. En d'autres termes, 8,8 millions de personnes vivaient sous le seuil de pauvreté monétaire.

UK banks and other financial companies have shifted at least $1 trillion worth of assets out of the country and into the European Union because of Brexit. Many banks have set up new offices elsewhere in the European Union to safeguard their regional operations after Brexit, which means they also have to move substantial assets there to satisfy EU regulators. Other firms are moving assets to protect clients against market volatility and sudden changes in regulation.

Governments and policymakers at large cannot overcome the challenges of poverty and social exclusion without addressing the issues of inequalities within the country, whether economic or social inequalities. The European Union has struggled with inequalities in the distribution of income over the years. Income inequality is measured by Gini coefficient and shows how evenly incomes are distributed among the population of a given country. It highlights the gap between different individuals or households’ disposable income.

Recent political events sweeping democratic strongholds around the world reflect a deep loss of faith in government. Citizens perceive their institutions to be captured by elites who are disconnected from the needs of their constituents or complicit in schemes that benefit the powerful at the expense of ordinary citizens. Restoring trust in institutions is arguably one of the most pressing challenges for democracies in the 21st century.