A conversation between Massimiliano Mascherini, Head of the Social Policy unit in Eurofound and László Andor, FEPS Secretary General

The findings are devastating as they show the rapidly increasing levels of unemployment and risk of poverty in only six weeks and they preview that the impact of the outbreak will be even harder in the near future.

Once more, young people are more touched by the consequences and they are those who suffer more depression and loneliness. Southern Europeans have clearly felt the lack of E.U. solidarity, while it is the East where citizens have the lowest level of trust in their health systems. The social consequences are already asymmetric and Masscherini affirms that the project of the European Union will only survive if citizens feel reassured by social protection, and if the EU can promote social investment as well as automatic fiscal stabilisers.