
Uzbekistan develops rare materials with greener extraction methods
In the Navoi region, a new French-Uzbek-Japanese joint venture is using in-situ leaching — an alternative to open-pit mining — to access uranium with reduced environmental impact. The project, led by Orano and Uzbekistan's state-owned Navoiyuran, aims to produce 10,000 tonnes of uranium.
With demand rising for rare materials used in green technologies, Uzbekistan is adopting international best practices and OECD-aligned standards. Officials hope these steps will strengthen ties with European partners and attract more foreign investment in responsible resource development.

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Local France
an hour ago
- Local France
In Numbers: How the populations of European countries have changed
The EU population grew by almost 1.1 million in 2024, reaching an estimated 450.4 million residents on January 1st 2025, according to data published by the European statistical office Eurostat. The year 2024 was the fourth consecutive year of population growth in the EU, after a drop recorded during the pandemic. The increase is largely due to net migration (the difference between the number of people arriving and those leaving) rather than natural change (the difference between births and deaths). Only six EU countries – France and Sweden, together with Ireland, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta – recorded more births than deaths, in addition to positive net migration. Effects of migration Historically, the difference between births and deaths in the EU was positive – yet slowing – until 2011. Since 2012, more deaths than births were recorded but the total EU population has kept increasing due to positive net migration. Only during the Covid-19 pandemic was the negative natural change not compensated by migration, Eurostat says. In 2024, deaths (4.82 million) outnumbered births (3.56 million), resulting in a negative natural change of 1.3 million people. On the other hand, positive net migration was 2.3 million, lower than the almost 3 million of 2022. These factors together made up for a population increase of 1,070,702. On a country level, 19 EU member states saw their population growing while eight saw a decline. The highest growth rates compared to the total population were recorded in Malta (the smallest EU country by population, at 0.6 million), Portugal and Ireland. Denmark was the only EU country with zero natural change and its population was stable at around 5.9 million. Advertisement Except for Latvia, where people emigrating keep outnumbering those immigrating, all EU countries had positive net migration in 2024. In 13 EU countries (Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia and Finland), this was the reason for population growth. Largest countries Germany, France and Italy are the largest EU countries by population (19 percent, 15 percent and 13 percent respectively, and comprise almost half of all EU residents. In 2024, Germany had 83.5 million inhabitants compared to 83.4 in 2023, France 68.6 million compared to 68.4 the previous year, and Italy 59.7 million people, a slight decrease over 2023. Spain follows with 49 million people, compared to 48.6 in 2023. In Sweden, the total population reached 10.5 million, and Austria 9.1 million, both representing a slight increase compared to 2023. Norway followed a similar trend, at 5.5 million, and Switzerland's population reached 9 million people, compared to 8.9 in 2023. Advertisement Countries losing population In 2024, the population declined in eight EU countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia), as the negative natural change was not offset by immigration. The largest declines were recorded in Latvia, Hungary, Poland and Estonia. Latvia was the only country with both negative natural change and negative net migration. Future trend The EU population grew by about 0.9 million each year between 2005 and 2024, compared to 3 million per year during the 1960s. In 1960, the population of the current EU countries was 354.5 million. In the future, due to the ageing population, the number of deaths is expected to further increase, and if fertility rates remain at current levels, the negative natural change could continue . This is in line with a global trend with a growing number of older adults and fewer under 25, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Centre . This also shows that Europe's median age is 43, making it the oldest region in the world.


Euronews
15 hours ago
- Euronews
How does unemployment vary among university graduates across Europe?
Does a university degree lower your chances of being unemployed in Europe? Yes. Across all EU countries, the unemployment rate is lower for university graduates than for the general population. However, it is still not possible to say 'yes' for all countries because there is one exception among 33 European countries as of 2024: Turkey. University graduates face a higher unemployment rate than the overall population in Turkey, according to Eurostat. Both the unemployment gap and the unemployment ratio between graduates and the total population vary widely across Europe. So, in which countries does higher education make the biggest difference? In 2024, among 33 countries, including EU member states, EU candidates, and EFTA countries, the unemployment rate for people aged 15–74 ranged from 2.6% in Czechia to 11.4% in Spain. These figures reflect the overall population, without considering education levels. The EU average was 5.9%. At the top, Greece (10.1%), Turkey (8.8%), Serbia (8.6%), and both Finland and Sweden (8.4%) followed Spain, reporting unemployment rates above 8%. At the bottom of the list, together with Czechia, Poland (2.9%), Malta (3.1%), Germany (3.4%), Iceland (3.6%), as well as the Netherlands and Slovenia (both 3.7%), recorded unemployment rates below 4%. University graduates and unemployment: The countries with the highest rates Among university graduates, defined as those with tertiary education, according to the ISCED classification, unemployment rates in 2024 ranged from 1.4% in Czechia and Poland to 9.2% in Turkey. The EU average stood at 3.8%. After Turkey, the highest unemployment rates among university graduates were recorded in Greece (7.3%), Spain (6.9%), Serbia (6.5%), and France (5%). Unemployment gap: Overall population vs university graduates When comparing unemployment rates between the general population and university graduates, Turkey was the only country in 2024 where the rate was higher for university graduates than for the overall population. The difference was –0.4 percentage points (pp). 'It is indeed unusual for the unemployment rate among tertiary education graduates to be greater than others in the workforce,' OECD's Turkey desk told Euronews. The largest gap was recorded in Spain by 4.5 pp. The unemployment rate was 11.4% for the overall population compared to 6.9% for university graduates in Spain. The EU average was 2.1 pp (5.9% vs 3.8%). Since unemployment rates vary significantly across countries, absolute differences may not fully reflect the extent of the gap. To better compare countries, the ratio between the unemployment rate of the general population and that of university graduates can be useful. A ratio below 1 indicates that the unemployment rate is higher among the tertiary-educated than the general population. A ratio of 1 means there is no difference between the two groups. The higher the ratio goes above 1, the more significantly unemployment is higher among the general population than among university graduates. EU: General unemployment 55% higher than among graduates Turkey is the only country with a ratio below 1, at 0.96, while the EU average stands at 1.55. This means that, in the EU, the unemployment rate among the general population is, on average, 1.55 times that of university graduates—or 55% higher. The ratio is also 1.23 in Cyprus, 1.26 in Switzerland, and 1.31 in Germany, and 1.32 in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Serbia. This suggests that unemployment rates among the general population and university graduates are relatively close in these countries. Romania (2.84), Slovakia (2.65), Bulgaria (2.63) and Hungary (2.50) have the highest ratios, meaning university graduates have significantly lower unemployment rates than the overall population. No other country has ever shared Turkey's case Is 2024 an exception? What about other years? Euronews Business also looked at the period from 2004 to 2024. Over these 21 years, Turkey was the only country where university graduates faced a higher unemployment rate than the general population. This fact occurred in 12 different years, starting in 2011. No other country recorded this even once during the entire period according to the data available from Eurostat. The line chart also shows a downward trend in the EU, indicating that the unemployment gap between the tertiary-educated and the overall population is narrowing. In 2022, Turkey had the third-lowest share of tertiary graduates in Europe, following Romania (17.4%) and Italy (18.5%). In Turkey, 20.6% of the population aged 25–74 held a university degree according to Eurostat. University boom in Turkey However, this picture may change for Turkey. In 2019, Turkey had the highest rate of university students relative to its population, with 95 students per 1,000 people—more than double the EU average of 38, according to Eurostat. According to Turkey's Higher Education Board, there were 53 public universities in 2003. This number rose dramatically to 129 by 2018. As of 2024, Turkey has 129 public universities and 75 private, foundation-based universities, bringing the total to 204. 'This rapid expansion was, in part, due to a government policy to establish a university in every province,' OECD told Euronews. According to OECD's Turkey desk, as in many countries, the quantity of tertiary-level graduates has grown faster than the number of jobs that require a degree. As a result this has eroded the previous benefits of having a university degree — ease of getting a job and higher wages. 'In Türkiye's case the erosion has been extreme, notably as regards rates of unemployment,' OECD officials told. OECD: Time to prioritise the quality of tertiary education OECD explained that 'rapid expansion of the university sector has made it difficult to uphold the quality of tertiary courses, aggravating the decline in labour-market returns to students'. 'As our surveys point out, the government's tertiary education policy needs to now prioritise the quality of tertiary education and the relevance of courses for the labour market." OECD also noted that there seems to be a large gap between the skills demanded by the labour market and the skills acquired by students in universities in Turkey. Their survey points to Turkey's relative low share of graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.

LeMonde
a day ago
- LeMonde
Donald Trump is on the verge of winning his trade war
When Donald Trump decided, in early spring, to abruptly suspend his unilateral tariffs after triggering a financial panic, the Financial Times published a sarcastic comment about the US president in early May, calling him "TACO" for "Trump always chickens out" in trade negotiations. This infuriated the head of state. "That's a nasty question," he said in the Oval Office of the White House after a journalist asked him about it. On July 15, Wall Street Journal columnist Greg Ip offered a less humorous but more direct evaluation: "Forget TACO. Trump is winning his trade war." The issue is not to defend Trump's trade policy – the WSJ called it "the dumbest trade war in history" – but to analyze whether the president is achieving the goals he set for himself. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, is set to meet the US head of state in Scotland on Sunday, July 27, in a last-ditch effort to reach a deal before the August 1 deadline to avoid 30% tariffs on European goods. The WSJ columnist recalled that the president's intention was to impose the highest possible tariffs to protect American industry and fund all or part of the income tax. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent used the argument of tariffs as a negotiating tool in an attempt to reassure US partners. But that was not Trump's concern.