Whilst other continents successfully reduce poverty, Europe adds to it. Poverty in Europe is steadily and worringly rising. It is the most vulnerable that are paying the highest price for the recession, and subsequent austerity. We are seeing more social exclusion, more working poverty, and more children growing up in deprived households.

Europe is sinking into a protracted period of deepening poverty, mass unemployment, social exclusion, greater inequality, and collective despair as a result of austerity policies adopted in response to the debt and currency crisis of the past four years.

Aux élections européennes, la plupart des États membres font office de circonscriptions uniques. Cependant, quatre États membres (la France, l'Irlande, l'Italie et le Royaume-Uni) ont divisé leur territoire national en plusieurs circonscriptions régionales. Il existe des circonscriptions dont l'intérêt est purement administratif ou qui servent uniquement à la répartition au sein des listes des partis en Belgique (4), en Allemagne (16, uniquement pour la CDU/CSU), en Pologne (13) et aux Pays-Bas (19). En Belgique, un siège est réservé à l'élu de la minorité germanophone.

De 1930 à 1933, l’atmosphère en Allemagne ne prêtait guère à l’optimisme. La crise économique mondiale frappa particulièrement durement le pays et il y eut jusqu'à 30% de chômeurs. Des millions d’allemands considéraient la coalition comme un gouvernement faible, incapable de lutter contre la crise. La misère largement répandue, la peur d’un avenir plus sombre encore, ainsi que la colère et l’impatience devant l’échec apparent du gouvernement à gérer la crise, préparèrent un terrain propice à la montée d’Adolf Hitler et de son parti nazi.

The much heralded African economic boom is set to go from strength to strength, although worries remain over governments' failure to tackle poverty and inequality. The whole of Africa is projected to grow at a rate of 5.3% in 2014

The better growth performance of oil exporters is likely to continue in 2014 but the growth differential with oil-importing countries is becoming smaller.

Le souverainisme est un mouvement ou une doctrine politique qui défend la souveraineté des nations en Europe. Le mouvement souverainiste est relativement récent. Il a été surtout lancé contre l'idée de l'Union européenne. Ce mouvement défend la souveraineté de l'État nation face à tout ce qui est supranational et donc face à l'Union Européenne. Le fondement du souverainisme c'est le principe de souveraineté de l'État et l'indépendance nationale.

The French National Front wants to pull France out of the euro and take back control of the country's currency and monetary policy; to renegotiate EU treaties to give states greater sovereignty and control of their national borders and wants to cut EU contributions;  get rid of EU free trade and competition rules and impose trade barriers on goods from China and Eastern Europe; replace the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with a French Agricultural Policy.

Europe would face regression and paralysis if Eurosceptics and nationalists gain the upper hand in next year’s European Parliament elections. A fourth of parliamentary seats (188) may be taken by extreme and populist parties. This would fundamentally change the nature of policymaking in the Parliament; and the populist radical right MEPs would band together in one or more political groups to rival the big three (the EPP, S&D and ALDE groups).

Africa is experiencing historic growth. Six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. The continent has enormous potential, and it is in the EU's interest to help African countries expand trade and investment to full development. At the same time the EU is applying pressure on African countries to have them signed EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements) claiming that EPAs are beneficial because they will shift the relationship between the EU and Africa from one of dependency on tariff preferences to one that promotes business competitiveness.

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) provide for WTO-compliant agreements covering substantially all trade in goods (at least 80%) as well as services and investment and trade related rules with a view to fostering African countries integration into the world economy and promote sustainable development.