{"id":306203,"date":"2026-10-19T15:21:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T11:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/?p=306203"},"modified":"2026-10-19T15:54:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T11:54:05","slug":"from-rising-food-prices-and-unaffordable-housing-to-stagnant-purchasing-power-and-strained-public-services%d6%89-europeans-have-taken-to-the-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/en\/news\/306203\/","title":{"rendered":"From rising food prices and unaffordable housing to stagnant purchasing power and strained public services\u0589 Europeans have taken to the streets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Demonstrations across Europe highlight growing frustration over living standards, Euronews<\/a> writes.<\/p>\n

Thousands of people took to the streets across Europe over the weekend to protest against rising living costs, unaffordable housing, low wages and pressure on public services. While the grievances varied from country to country, the demonstrations highlight growing frustration over household budgets.<\/p>\n

In France, hundreds of thousands of people joined demonstrations involving students and other groups protesting over living costs and public services. Many marched peacefully, but French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to hold accountable those who “sought to bring down the Republic” after some gatherings descended into looting and rioting across major cities, with some 1,500 shops and retailers damaged.<\/p>\n

The cost to the establishments will run to “several hundreds of millions of euros”, Alexandre Bompard, president of the Retail and Trade Federation, told.<\/p>\n

Rising food, housing and energy costs have left many households struggling to make their incomes stretch further. Even when inflation slows, prices generally remain higher than they were before, leaving consumers with less room in their budgets.<\/p>\n

Housing is a particular concern for renters and younger people in many cities. Low-paid workers face pressure from essential expenses, while concerns over education and other public services have added to discontent in some countries.<\/p>\n

Eurostat data analysed by Euronews Business shows that EU food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose by 34% between August 2021 and August 2026.<\/p>\n

Stocks across Europe fell at the start of trading on Monday as France reeled from one of its most violent weekends in years.<\/p>\n

It is worth noting that following the unrest in France, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, but Macron rejected it. According to the Élysée Palace, Macron made this decision because the current situation in France requires the police to remain under continuous supervision.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"