Latest news with #NordicCountries
Reuters
7 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Nordic countries sign new ammunition agreement with Norway's Nammo
COPENHAGEN, June 16 (Reuters) - Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway have signed a new ammunition agreement with Norwegian defence equipment firm Nammo to ensure that the Nordic countries have enough ammunition, Norway's defence ministry said on Monday. "The Nordic region needs enough ammunition, both to deter those who do not wish us well and to defend ourselves if we have to," Norwegian Defence Minister Tore Sandvik said. The agreement will help the countries to produce and procure ammunition faster and more efficiently through Nammo, the ministry said.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Which countries have the highest and lowest pensions in Europe?
Pensions are the main source of income for older people in Europe, according to the OECD's Pension at a Glance 2023 report. In many European countries, public transfers—such as state pensions and benefits—account for over 70% of older adults' total equivalised gross household income, exceeding 80% in some cases. So, how much do Europeans receive in old-age pensions? What is the average pension expenditure per beneficiary? And how do pension levels compare across Europe when adjusted for purchasing power? According to Eurostat, in 2022, the average pension expenditure per beneficiary for old-age pensions was €16,138 in the EU. This equals approximately €1,345 per month when divided over 12 months. It ranged from €3,611 in Bulgaria to €31,385 in Luxembourg within the EU. When EFTA and EU candidate countries are included, the range widens—from €1,648 in Albania to €35,959 in Iceland. The average old-age pension per beneficiary also exceeded €30,000 in two Nordic countries: Norway and Denmark. It was also significantly above the EU average in Sweden (€22,436) and Finland (€21,085). Related Eurozone inflation falls below ECB 2% target in May: Rate cut in sight Besides Albania, EU candidate countries have the lowest average pensions. These include Turkey (€2,942), Bosnia and Herzegovina (€3,041), Serbia (€3,486), and Montenegro (€3,962). Montenegro ranks just above Bulgaria, but only by a small margin. These are annual figures, not monthly, demonstrating the wide gap between the lowest and highest pension levels in Europe. The EU's 'Big Four' economies ranked consecutively, all above the EU average. Italy had the highest average pension among them at €19,589, followed by France (€18,855), Spain (€18,100), and Germany (€17,926). Related Meet the CEO trying to 'increase the net worth of an entire generation' Average pension figures show that: There's a strong East-West divide, with Western and Nordic Europe offering much higher pension benefits. The Southern European countries generally fare better than Eastern ones but still trail behind Northern Europe. The poorest performers are concentrated in the Balkans and Eastern EU, particularly among EU candidate countries. Inequalities in average pensions are significantly narrower when measured in purchasing power standards (PPS) compared to nominal terms. For example, within the EU, the ratio between the highest and lowest average pension is 8.8 in nominal terms, but it drops to 3.5 in PPS, reflecting differences in living costs. In the EU, average pension expenditure per beneficiary ranged from 5,978 PPS in Slovakia to 21,162 PPS in Austria. When non-EU countries are included, Albania had the lowest figure at 3,019 PPS. Turkey ranked significantly higher in PPS terms, with 8,128 PPS—placing it above several EU member states. All Nordic countries are above the EU average in pension spending, with some ranking among the highest in Europe. Related Living in debt? Savings expert shares secret to 'spring clean your finances' Where in Europe are workers losing ground as taxes rise faster than wages? In euro terms, the average pension fell in only three countries in 2022 compared to 2021—and by less than 5%. These were Turkey, Ireland, and Greece. In Turkey, the decline was primarily due to a sharp depreciation of the national currency, which affected the euro value of pensions. In contrast, Bulgaria saw the largest increase at 33%, followed by Czechia with 16%. Pension growth also exceeded 10% in Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Romania. Old-age pensions are periodic payments intended to i) maintain the income of the beneficiary after retirement from paid employment at the legal or standard age or ii) support the income of elderly people. According to the 2024 Pension Adequacy Report, jointly prepared by the European Commission and the Social Protection Committee, EU countries are taking further steps to safeguard adequacy, but future adequacy remains under pressure. Pension replacement rates for a given career are projected to decline over the next four decades. The risk of poverty and social exclusion among older people has continued to rise since 2019, mainly driven by increasing relative income poverty. In 2022, more than one in five people aged 65 and over in the EU—about 18.5 million individuals—were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This number is growing due to both the rising poverty rate and the ageing population. Across much of Europe, pension income falls well below pre-retirement earnings. This gap makes it hard for many older adults to maintain their standard of living after they stop working. Related From gross pay to take-home: The real salary picture across Europe The report shows that older women face higher poverty risks than men in every EU country. On average, women in the EU receive 26.1% less pension income than men, and 5.3% of women receive no pension at all. These gaps are rooted in gender pay disparities, shorter or interrupted careers, and a higher incidence of part-time work among women. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Medscape
10-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Finland's Prison Healthcare: A House of Contradictions
On May 7, Finland's deputy parliamentary ombudsman issued a statement criticizing 'shortcomings in the availability of and access to psychiatric care for prisoners.' According to the statement, current service levels do not satisfy prisoners' legal rights, highlighting a curious discrepancy: Although Finland's prison healthcare system is purported to be among the best in the world, its prisoners still have exceptionally high rates of psychiatric disorders, psychoses, and even suicide. Finland's penal system, like those of other Nordic countries, focuses not on punishment but on rehabilitation and integration as a productive member of society. According to Finnish law, imprisonment should only involve a loss or restriction of liberty without impeding the prisoner's other rights unless necessary. Prisoners have a legal right to education, social services, and healthcare. Nevertheless, the Wattu IV National Study on the Health and Wellbeing of Prisoners, published in 2023, reported that about 88% of the prison population has a personality disorder. Roughly 8% of prisoners suffer from some form of psychosis compared with about 2% of the general Finnish population. The study also reported lower rates of trust and higher rates of social isolation among the prison population. Mika Rautanen, MD 'What's a little bit surprising is that, when we compare with the Nordics or other countries, our numbers are higher,' said Mika Rautanen, MD, department head at the Health Care Services for Prisoners (VTH), who led the study. 'It's interesting, and I'm not sure why that's so.' Universal Care Rautanen's puzzlement reflects the mismatch between Finland's extensive prison healthcare system and its lackluster results. Finland is one of a handful of countries in which prison healthcare falls under the purview of the Ministry of Health rather than the Ministry of Justice. VTH is part of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, which provides healthcare services to the general population. 'We take a holistic approach to people in prisons. Many different factors are entangled together in their problems, so we have to consider the whole person in order to help them,' Rautanen told Medscape Medical News . 'Not every country has a special healthcare service dedicated to prisoners. We have our own hospitals, as well as health clinics with doctors and nurses inside the prison walls,' he said. VTH operates Finland's psychiatric hospital for prisoners, which also provides outpatient services to prisons. Rautanen explained that prisoners can easily get a referral. Nurses are required to give prisoners a checkup when they are admitted to prison and at other times during their imprisonment. The prison staff can also contact the hospital services and ask for help when they are concerned about an individual. Pia Puolakka, MPsych The Prison and Probation Service (RISE) also provides rehabilitative support to prisoners, though they distinguish it from mental health care. While it may include cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychological work, 'rehabilitation is a wider concept than mental health care,' explained Pia Puolakka, MPsych, a senior specialist and team leader at RISE, speaking with Medscape Medical News . Mental health services deal with conditions like depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders, she said, while rehabilitation focuses on behavioral management strategies and reducing the risk for recidivism, partly through study and work programs. Prisoners Have Many Mental Health Problems Despite these services, prisoners in Finland carry a significant mental health burden. To some extent, this may be a reflection of Finland's very small prison population. A campaign starting in the 1960s brought the prisoner rate down from about 200 per 100,000 to a relatively low 50-60, in line with the other Nordic countries. This was accomplished by changes in sentencing and legislation, particularly for theft and drunken driving: Shorter sentences, expanded parole, an increase in the use of conditional sentences, and a shift to noncustodial sentences, such as fines and community service. The higher mental health burden in the prison population might therefore be because it is a distinct subpopulation. A 2023 study found that psychiatric hospitalization rates in Finnish municipalities correlate with violent crime rates. The author also found that providing supportive housing for people with serious mental illnesses and visits with mental health care professionals could have crime-reducing impacts. Another explanation of the high rates of mental health issues in Finnish prisons could be that Finland has collected exceptionally good data, said Rautanen. The Wattu IV prisoner health and well-being study wasn't just a questionnaire or survey, he explained; the researchers had the resources to visit the prisoners, interview them, and evaluate the situation. In other words, the high rates may simply capture the true situation, and lower rates in reports from other countries might result from less thorough data collection. In support of this idea, Rautanen pointed out that the psychosis rate in the 2023 Wattu IV report was about the same as in the previous study published in 2010. 'It's alarming that we haven't been able to reduce it — we have to do something — but I think the fact that it's similar suggests that the numbers really are right,' he said. High Suicide Rates However, differences in another statistic are more difficult to explain as being based on better data collection: The suicide rate. A 2017 study in The Lancet Psychiatry reported that the Nordic countries had the highest prison suicide rates out of the 24 rich countries surveyed. Within the prison population, Nordics had suicide rates of 91-180 per 100,000. Finland had 103 per 100,000. The suicide rate in Finnish prisons was 4.8 times higher than in the general population; in Norway, it was 14 times higher. In Belgium, Spain, and New Zealand, the suicide rate in prison was also about five times higher than in the general population (4.7-5.5), while the US, Croatia, Canada, and Poland had far lower ratios (0.7-2.3). The study also found a negative correlation between incarceration rate and suicide rate. For example, Canada had an incarceration rate of 141 per 100,000 (compared with Finland's 56) and a prison suicide rate of 27 per 100,000. The authors speculated that smaller prison populations likely consist of people who have committed serious or violent crimes or have high rates of mental illness, increasing the risk for suicide. By contrast, high incarceration rates make the prison population more similar to the general population, effectively diluting the high-risk groups into a mixed population. While this explanation may partially account for the difference in suicide rates, it also presents an implicit challenge to the Nordic penal model. The Nordic penal system is considered exceptionally humane and is often held up as an example for other countries, but its suicide statistics are similar to those in western and southern European countries — both in terms of the prison suicide rate and its comparison with the general population's suicide rate. How is the Nordic model falling short? 'There's no simple answer to that,' said Puolakka. 'When people say that Nordic prisons are exceptional, I always say that we have a very good system that provides services and healthcare, but even if a prison is made of gold, it's still a prison,' she continued. 'People who haven't been imprisoned probably don't understand it; being imprisoned is a crisis and a traumatic life experience.' Access to Care Puolakka's point is reflected in VTH data. About 32% of prisoners said they have tried to harm themselves or attempted suicide, and roughly 25% reported a life satisfaction score of ≤ 4 (out of 10), with 4% scoring their life satisfaction at 0. 'We should check up more,' said Rautanen, explaining that the current arrangement requires nurses or staff to spot prisoners in need or prisoners to ask for help themselves. 'We should go there and try to find the people who need us.' …even if a prison is made of gold, it's still a prison…being imprisoned is a crisis and a traumatic life experience. According to Rautanen, many prisoners might not trust the health services enough to approach them, or they may not recognize that they have a mental health condition. He pointed out that prisoners who frequently contact the mental health services may not have severe issues, while those with psychosis, paranoia, or other antisocial traits 'can be very hidden, and we don't hear about them.' Miisa Törölä, PhD, a criminology researcher at the University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, commented on the same problem. 'Healthcare staff don't necessarily visit the prison wards, even if they have their unit right there,' she told Medscape Medical News . She explained that prisoners can request help via a written complaint, which puts the burden on them. 'I think they don't necessarily recognize their symptoms or see that there's anything wrong with their behavior. Making it [the prisoners'] duty to be very active in getting help is problematic.' Miisa Törölä, PhD In at least some cases, prisoners want care but cannot access it. Alexander Vahera-Chibnik worked as a prison guard in Helsinki for several months in 2020 and 2021. He described a case where a prisoner took extreme measures to get mental health care. 'About an hour after being booked into the prison, they attempted to hang themselves with their bedsheet,' he recalled, speaking with Medscape Medical News . Vahera-Chibnik was the first on the scene, and after the prisoner was saved, he was tasked with escorting them to the prison psychiatric hospital. The prisoner had previously been imprisoned in Oulu, Northern Finland. 'They told me that while in prison at Oulu, they had attempted to access care due to depression, suicidal thoughts, and drug addiction but been repeatedly denied,' Vahera-Chibnik said. 'In their words, they felt that their only way forward was to either take their own life or survive the attempt and get access to care that way.' Alexander Vahera-Chibnik The morning after the incident, Vahera-Chibnik overheard one of the criminal sanctions officers say, 'They should have just let that fucking addict hang.' Vahera-Chibnik said this reflects the extremely negative attitude that prison guards can have toward inmates with drug addiction. 'The fact that someone with that mindset was able to be promoted in the system and that that's something, which can be comfortably said aloud in a crowded locker room speaks to the general attitude of the prison guards,' he said. In another case, Vahera-Chibnik called the prison nurse when he found an inmate 'engaged in some strange behavior, like standing at the stove and passing their hand over the burners and talking to themselves.' He said the nurse observed briefly and then told him to call again if the prisoner hurt themselves or someone else. 'I would not be surprised at all if denying care is a common practice,' he said. Gaps in the System The overall shortcomings of the prison mental health care system are affirmed by the deputy parliamentary ombudsman's reprimand. The statement charged VTH with investigating and correcting any ambiguities in referral practices in prisons and requested that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Justice investigate how the mental health care of prisoners can be improved. Törölä said that the problem is at least partly structural. 'You have to have a chronic, severe mental illness to be remanded to the forensic psychiatric unit. The prison psychiatric hospital gives treatment for acute situations. There's a gap in between,' she said. Prisoners who need longer-term therapy and support fall through this gap in the system. Another issue is balancing different needs. 'My understanding is that mental health care isn't necessarily prioritized in prison because there are other things to take care of before that, like cutting off substance abuse,' she said. These problems can be especially pronounced with prisoners who are serving a short sentence, which might not provide enough time for rehabilitation. Prison Minorities Another structural problem is who the Finnish prison system focuses on. Helena Huhta, PhD, a sociologist and criminologist at the University of Turku, Turku, Finland, pointed out that even though 18% of the prison population are not Finnish, the Wattu health and well-being study only involved Finnish prisoners. 'This reflects the general approach to foreign prisoners in the Finnish prison system,' she told Medscape Medical News . 'We know next to nothing about the mental health of foreign prisoners or how the prison services meet their mental health needs. There are no studies about that.' Helena Huhta, PhD Rautanen acknowledged that shortcoming, adding that other groups are also missing, such as very short-term prisoners and prisoners in the more remote northern and eastern parts of the country. He explained that this was due to not having enough resources to cover tens of languages and travel to all distant prisons. 'Next, we should conduct focused smaller studies,' he said. Huhta also raised the question of ethnic minorities in Finnish prisons, noting that there are about 200 Roma imprisoned in Finland. 'That's quite a strong overrepresentation, and it would be a really important topic to research,' she said. RISE is 'very aware of the ethnic and other minority groups,' Puolakka said, adding that there are specific practices intended for them. For example, there are women-specific programs, and the prison service also collaborates with NGOs that are specialized in the needs of Roma people. 'One important thing that defines how much you can benefit from services in Finnish prisons is how well you know the Finnish language and Finnish culture,' said Puolakka, adding that whether a person will stay in Finland or be deported after imprisonment is also a major factor determining their needs during imprisonment. While RISE may recognize these needs, Huhta said they often aren't met. She said that during prison visits for her PhD research a decade ago, she observed that a lack of Finnish language skills and an ethnic hierarchy among the prisoners limited their access to work and schooling opportunities. She recalled being told by a prison staff member leading a workshop that he wasn't going to accept anyone on his team who belonged to an ethnic minority. She added that prison guards sometimes refuse to speak English with prisoners, and translated forms are not systematically used, creating unnecessary hurdles for foreign prisoners. In addition, she said that Muslim prisoners are often denied access to an imam, while Christian prisoners have regular access to a priest. Many of the 18% of prisoners who are not Finnish face deportation after their release. 'That's often a much graver consequence of crime than imprisonment,' said Huhta, since it completely uproots someone from their life. 'All prisoners should receive preparation for their release — help finding housing or arranging needed services after release, for example — but prisoners who will be deported are often denied that because the officers think they can't do it since they don't know the society the person will be deported to.' Huhta explained that the deportation process itself is unclear to most of the prisoners, and some of them will be deported to a country they left as a child, with which they have little or no actual connection. 'It's really stressful for many prisoners. They would benefit a lot from having someone to discuss the process with, as well as how they could use their existing skills, resources, and connections to build a new life,' she said. 'Having the possibility to reflect on these things with someone before getting released would be very important.' Contradictions That Are Not Unique The Nordic penal model, generally considered exceptionally humane, proves to house contradictions, with prison suicide rates similar to other European countries and high mental health burdens among the prison population. These discrepancies are not unique to Finland. For example, doctoral researcher Pernille Nyvoll of the University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, has written about how 'the unsolvable conflict between care and control in prison' shapes prisoners' healthcare experience in Norway's prisons. To explain these contradictions, Huhta referenced a 2013 paper by Vanessa Barker of Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden, which calls the Nordic penal system 'Janus-faced,' saying that 'it is mild and harsh simultaneously.' Barker wrote that this mirrors the dual nature of Nordic welfare states, which combine democratic egalitarianism with an ethno-cultural idea of citizenship. She argued that this dynamic needs to be understood when evaluating the Nordic penal system, which is often held up as a model worth emulating without fully understanding its exclusionary mechanisms and limitations. While the Nordic model has many admirable elements, its shortcomings must also be recognized and analyzed.
India.com
02-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
If They Are Bold Enough...: Amid Peace Talks With Russia, Ukraines Zelenskyy Calls For More Support
Hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Turkey's Istanbul under the shadow of Kyiv's drone attack on Russian airbases damaging around 41 aircraft, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called upon the European allies and West to extend more support to Kyiv. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has shown its capability by striking deep inside Russia. Zelesnkyy speculated that Russia might plan a fresh attack against Ukraine post-Belarus meet. "Europe, together with America, has better weapons than Russia. We also have stronger tactical solutions – our operation 'Spiderweb' yesterday proved that. Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy. And when Russia takes losses in this war, it's obvious to everyone that Ukraine is the one holding the line – not just for itself, but for all of Europe," said Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian President also said Kyiv needs more strength against Russia. "Ask your intelligence – what is Russia planning this summer in Belarus? If they're bold enough to prepare attacks from there, then we need more strength – together. And right now, that means strengthening Ukraine – so we can stop this war and prevent it from spreading. That's why weapons production matters. At today's summit in Vilnius with the Bucharest Nine and the Nordic Countries, I thanked our partners for their support, and we are coordinating our steps together," said Zelenskyy. As fresh peace talks get underway, Moscow's lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, has confirmed Russia received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace agreement. Russia, in turn, announced it would present its own draft, along with unspecificied ceasefire proposals. Leading the Ukrainian delegation is Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, whose team notably arrived wearing combat fatigues, a stark visual reminder of the ongoing conflict. The previous round of talks in Istanbul on May 16, 2025, saw the largest prisoner swap of the war, with 1,000 detainees freed by each side. However, despite this exchange, there was no progress on peace or a ceasefire, as both sides presented vastly different opening negotiation positions.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Which countries have the highest and lowest pensions in Europe?
Pensions are the main source of income for older people in Europe, according to the OECD's Pension at a Glance 2023 report. In many European countries, public transfers—such as state pensions and benefits—account for over 70% of older adults' total equivalised gross household income, exceeding 80% in some cases. So, how much do Europeans receive in old-age pensions? What is the average pension expenditure per beneficiary? And how do pension levels compare across Europe when adjusted for purchasing power? According to Eurostat, in 2022, the average pension expenditure per beneficiary for old-age pensions was €16,138 in the EU. This equals approximately €1,345 per month when divided over 12 months. It ranged from €3,611 in Bulgaria to €31,385 in Luxembourg within the EU. When EFTA and EU candidate countries are included, the range widens—from €1,648 in Albania to €35,959 in Iceland. The average old-age pension per beneficiary also exceeded €30,000 in two Nordic countries: Norway and Denmark. It was also significantly above the EU average in Sweden (€22,436) and Finland (€21,085). Besides Albania, EU candidate countries have the lowest average pensions. These include Turkey (€2,942), Bosnia and Herzegovina (€3,041), Serbia (€3,486), and Montenegro (€3,962). Montenegro ranks just above Bulgaria, but only by a small margin. These are annual figures, not monthly, demonstrating the wide gap between the lowest and highest pension levels in Europe. The EU's 'Big Four' economies ranked consecutively, all above the EU average. Italy had the highest average pension among them at €19,589, followed by France (€18,855), Spain (€18,100), and Germany (€17,926). Average pension figures show that: There's a strong East-West divide, with Western and Nordic Europe offering much higher pension benefits. The Southern European countries generally fare better than Eastern ones but still trail behind Northern Europe. The poorest performers are concentrated in the Balkans and Eastern EU, particularly among EU candidate countries. Inequalities in average pensions are significantly narrower when measured in purchasing power standards (PPS) compared to nominal terms. For example, within the EU, the ratio between the highest and lowest average pension is 8.8 in nominal terms, but it drops to 3.5 in PPS, reflecting differences in living costs. In the EU, average pension expenditure per beneficiary ranged from 5,978 PPS in Slovakia to 21,162 PPS in Austria. When non-EU countries are included, Albania had the lowest figure at 3,019 PPS. Turkey ranked significantly higher in PPS terms, with 8,128 PPS—placing it above several EU member states. All Nordic countries are above the EU average in pension spending, with some ranking among the highest in Europe. In euro terms, the average pension fell in only three countries in 2022 compared to 2021—and by less than 5%. These were Turkey, Ireland, and Greece. In Turkey, the decline was primarily due to a sharp depreciation of the national currency, which affected the euro value of pensions. In contrast, Bulgaria saw the largest increase at 33%, followed by Czechia with 16%. Pension growth also exceeded 10% in Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Romania. Old-age pensions are periodic payments intended to i) maintain the income of the beneficiary after retirement from paid employment at the legal or standard age or ii) support the income of elderly people. According to the 2024 Pension Adequacy Report, jointly prepared by the European Commission and the Social Protection Committee, EU countries are taking further steps to safeguard adequacy, but future adequacy remains under pressure. Pension replacement rates for a given career are projected to decline over the next four decades. The risk of poverty and social exclusion among older people has continued to rise since 2019, mainly driven by increasing relative income poverty. In 2022, more than one in five people aged 65 and over in the EU—about 18.5 million individuals—were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This number is growing due to both the rising poverty rate and the ageing population. Across much of Europe, pension income falls well below pre-retirement earnings. This gap makes it hard for many older adults to maintain their standard of living after they stop working. The report shows that older women face higher poverty risks than men in every EU country. On average, women in the EU receive 26.1% less pension income than men, and 5.3% of women receive no pension at all. These gaps are rooted in gender pay disparities, shorter or interrupted careers, and a higher incidence of part-time work among women.
