Netherlands: New rules slash youngsters’ invalidity benefit
The number of new claims for invalidity benefit under the Wajong scheme has dropped 90% since new rules were introduced at the beginning of this year. In the first four months of 2014, 5,109 youngsters were found to be entitled to the benefit, compared with just 515 in the first four months of this year. The benefit is for those unable to work because of illness or handicap at a young age. Since the beginning of this year, only people who cannot work at all are entitled to claim. Others who used to be entitled to help, such as people who hold down a small part-time job or people with Downs syndrome, have to apply to their local authority for welfare benefits instead. Elsevier magazine reported last week that 820,330 people in the Netherlands are considered unable to work and are receiving some form of invalidity benefit. The total Dutch working population is 7.2 million. Some 250,000 of them claim Wajong benefits, of whom almost 80% have behavioural issues such as ADHD or autism.
Montenegro: A European harvest field
The nation’s government, a parliamentary democracy, has many political parties. Its recent independence has brought a renewed sense of hope and optimism, giving this small nation a greater sense of potential. Joining the European Union and adopting the Euro will hopefully open up many economic opportunities for Montenegrins. But, in the midst of progress, the economy still faces many obstacles. Despite a difficult history of ethnic division, Montenegro desires to step into the future with a strong national identity. Deep divisions remain between the Serbian and Montenegrin Orthodox Churches, and the Christian population remains predominantly nominal. Additionally, Bosniak Muslims residing in the nation harbour bitterness towards Christians for the way they historically treated the Muslim population. Prayer is needed for sensitive and effective outreach to Muslim Bosniaks. Evangelicals claim .03% of the population. Portions of the country remain largely un-evangelised .
Monaco: Wealth – Tax haven
Monaco has wealth, fast cars and casinos. A mecca for the rich. The mini country is home to 38,000 people and one in three is a millionaire. It has the highest per capita GDP in the world. The big draw is tax. The principality has no income tax and other tax rates for companies and individuals are exceptionally low. The prospect of keeping hold of most of their wealth has attracted people from over 100 nations. Living standards are high. Since the principality's priority is to attract wealthy individuals to acquire real estate and live and spend in the country, the government uses its economic advantages to improve the quality of life and to combine work and leisure. Indeed, many of the world's rich buy property in Monaco to take advantage of Monaco's tax regime, although they seldom abide by the legal requirement to live 6 months of every year in the country. See also: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Monaco-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html
Moldova: the Russia-EU tug-of-war
Chisinau, Moldova - Vlad Petrescu used to be a Soviet patriot. He served in the Pacific fleet for three years and for more than two decades drove trucks carrying Moldovan fruit and wine (still a backbone of Moldova's economy) to Moscow, Kiev and oil boom-towns in Siberia. ‘I was raised thinking I lived in the world's most advanced and just society and everybody in the Soviet Union loved Moldova because it made one think of wine and cheerful music. Europe does not make my heart sing, but we need them so that one day our politicians can become honest and corruption-free. After the Soviet collapse he struggled for years to make ends meet as Moldova underwent a painful economic and political transformation that is far from over. Wedged between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova must, yet again, choose between its pro-Europe and pro-Moscow sympathies. The nation of three million is one of Europe's poorest. Its economy is largely agriculture-based - and dangerously dependent on ‘the missing generation’- thousands working in Russia and the European Union, often illegally.
