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They work as teachers, translators, they open bars, restaurants and many more...
That's what I was saying : white collar workers only (or artists maybe). So only a segment of society.The Western European industry worker doesn't want to earn
300 € per month , 1/5th of what he earns in Western Europe!
And Kosovo is maybe not yet officially EU member but has the € as currency! talk of a chaotic situation! and anyway, it has a 50% unemployed, so there they go to work to Germany.
And as I said, visas or not,officially members of the EU or not, they are all flocking to Western European countries (save maybe the Czech Republic which has a better economy), adding a burden to the unemployment there (20% unemployment in Spain, 10% in France), because their countries are in a deep crisis.
The EU is a failure.(if you doubt it, try to look for Vaclav Klaus, the Czech President, on Wiki).
This is a completely different topic to talk about. However life quality in Poland is improving remarkably since we joined EU and people are becoming less and less xenophobic throughout Eruope year by year. Is it so bad? Plus freedom of movement - I love it. There are advantages and disadvantages of being EU member of course, but IMHO uniting Europe is worth a try!
This is a completely different topic to talk about. However life quality in Poland is improving remarkably since we joined EU and people are becoming less and less xenophobic throughout Eruope year by year. Is it so bad? Plus freedom of movement - I love it. There are advantages and disadvantages of being EU member of course, but IMHO uniting Europe is worth a try!
Agreed. When I went to France, I was actually angry and quite jealous of the currency. It had more value than the dollar at the time and although everything was higher priced, there were fair prices I could easily adjust to. If only all of the U.S. had a higher cost of living. But the euro did have issues because look where they are now. Idk...
“It’s nonsense to list Sweden as more expensive than Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and Luxembourg,” the Swedish Institute’s Thomas Carlhed told The Local.
Sweden’s overall quality of life score of 71 put it on a par with Panama and Poland, and below Uruguay and Lithuania.
A representative from International Living confirmed for The Local that “Sweden has the highest cost of living and is the most expensive country in the world”.
According to a 2007 comparison, for example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found Sweden to be the 12th most costly country as measured by real GDP per person and tenth most expensive in terms of real actual individual consumption per head.
And 2008 figures from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, show price levels in Sweden to have the fifth highest price levels among countries in the European Union.
Even the Economist magazine’s “Big Mac Index”, which uses the price of the famous McDonald’s burger as a gauge to compare price levels, puts prices in Sweden far below those of neighbouring Norway.
Britain has dropped to 25th place on a list of the best places in the world to live - behind countries such as the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Uruguay.
While France tops the poll for the fifth year running, the UK's climate, crime rate, cost of living, congested roads and overcrowded cities have pushed it even further down from last year's ranking at 20.
The Quality of Life Index, published by International Living magazine for the 30th year, says the French live life to the full, while Britons are over-worked.
In all, 194 countries are surveyed on nine criteria, including the cost of living, culture and leisure, environment, safety, culture and weather.
Australia is placed second after France, followed by Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand.
Even former communist countries where unemployment is still rife are considered better places to settle down in than Britain, with Lithuania and the Czech Republic coming in at 22nd and 24th place respectively.
Variety is also seen as a major factor in France's appeal, with the survey noting: 'Romantic Paris offers the best of everything, but services don't fall away in Alsace's wine villages, in wild and lovely Corsica, in lavender-scented Provence. Or in the Languedoc of the troubadors, bathed in Mediterranean sunlight.'
Britain does not top a single category in the survey, which is compiled using official government statistics, data from the World Health Organisation and the views of the magazine's editors around the globe.
The U.S. fell from third to seventh place because of the economic crisis last year. A magazine spokesman said: 'Sustaining the American Dream has escalated out of the reach of many.'
Germany is widely praised for its efficiency and leisure facilities, with the magazine noting that 'the Harz Mountains now has a specialist hiking trail for nudists. Germany is arguably the world's most naturist-friendly country'.
France at #1 is laughable. I have to wonder who put this together. Out of the 15 or so countries I've visited in Europe, France was one of my least favorite, with Paris being my least favorite city of all on the continent.
France at #1 is laughable. I have to wonder who put this together. Out of the 15 or so countries I've visited in Europe, France was one of my least favorite, with Paris being my least favorite city of all on the continent.
Whoever made the study forgot to consult with you for the most authoritative opinion.
I would not ever live in France. How do they figure it's the best place to live? When I went over there some freaking pick-pocketer stole my camera with almost 300 photos on it! Why would I ever want to move there?
eh, are you serious? And here in the States my car has been broken into 3 times. Why would I want to live in the US?
I have always felt that economic criteria are given far too much importance in such surveys. But since it is just about the easiest thing to measure and compare, there is no getting around it.
I guess there is no objective way to measure the difference in the pleasure of having a nice crusty baguette at breakfast, still warm from the boulangerie downstairs, or getting a loaf of Wonder bread out of the freezer.
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