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24 February 2021

Hello, and welcome to the news and tools delivery from EDJNet.

Before the introduction of the Recovery Fund, one of the first instruments put in place by the EU was the possibility for states to redirect their own European funds in order to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. Openpolis investigates how this process has played out.

How did Covid-19 impact on prison populations across Europe? Laszlo Arato has checked the numbers. He also contributes to this issue with a piece on homicide and suicide rates across the EU, and their downward trend – some good news at last.

We hope you'll enjoy the reading – and please stay tuned for the next issue of the newsletter, as we're about to release a new large investigation on access to mental health services in Europe.

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EDJNet stories

The impact of EU funds on Covid-19 crisis management

The pandemic has made it necessary to shift resources towards personal protective equipment, medical supplies and other health infrastructure. European funds have played a decisive role there.
In 2020, a total of €7.2 billion in EU funds was reallocated to the health sector. Funds also increased for programs promoting access to health services.
The possibility to transfer funds from one region to another has also been used extensively to support businesses. Almost all types of regions have experienced an increase, though to varying degrees.

Read the article >

Homicide and suicide rates in the EU are falling

Laszlo Arato | EUrologus

Over the last ten years, there were significantly fewer homicides in the EU. Suicide rates have also dropped. While the situation in certain northern countries is less rosy, there were considerably fewer violent deaths per 100,000 people in the South.

Google and Facebook dominate behavioural advertising, even with the cookie crumbling

Andreas Vou | OBC Transeuropa

Action is being taken to increase transparency on the processing of users’ personal data on the internet, but the main digital advertisers still rely on intrusive practices that try to influence people’s behaviours. European regulation on data protection could mitigate the issue, but its enforcement is limited.

Pandemic has opened prisons across Europe

Laszlo Arato | EUrologus

The prison population fell in almost all European countries last year. Many detainees were released to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and meanwhile the crime rate also declined. The largest drop in prison numbers was in Turkey. However, in certain countries the incarcerated population increased.

Another 83 years to close the gender pay gap

Naïri Nahapétian | Alternatives Economiques

Using data from Eurostat, the European Trade Union Confederation has analysed the slow progress of EU countries in reducing the gender pay gap.

The pandemic is bringing back “traditional” gender roles

Daniele Ruzza | VoxEurop

Gender inequality in the labour market has been an issue for years, and it has only gotten worse with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, to the point that it is rolling back on the achievements made in the last 30 years.

All our articles can be freely republished or reused. Some are available in Croatian, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Romanian. Interested? Write to us!

From our partners

From the European Data News Hub

Covid-19 vaccines online or in development

With several Covid-19 vaccines either being rolled out or under trial, here is a rundown of the various stages of their development.

Global Covid vaccination push gets a shot in the arm

A plan to ensure Covid-19 vaccines reach the world’s poorest can finally swing into delivery mode after the World Health Organization approved the AstraZeneca jab this week.

From Sonar Europe

Deaths during pandemic in Poland and other EU countries

Gazeta Wyborcza checked what percentage of COVID-19 diagnosed patients have died. The scale of the pandemic is also visible in Poland in the number of excess deaths.

AstraZeneca vaccine is not for everyone

Although the European Medicines Agency recommends AstraZeneca vaccine for adults of all ages, many EU countries restrict its use to older age groups.

Tools and Tips

You draw it AR: Instagram face filters for data-driven journalism

Daniela Späth, Eva Lopez, and Andy Giefer from Deutsche Welle (DW) present their first experience with AR and Instagram Face Filters — an innovative form of interactive journalism, conducive to highly shareable content.

According to Instagram, more than 500 million people actively use Instagram Stories every day. Face filters which can be embedded in stories therefore have the potential to reach a lot of users. They are arguably the most popular form of AR applications at present.
DW experimented with head or mouth movements, as well as other facial expressions, which also allowed users to control a chart. Once they use the face filter and submit an estimate, their input is automatically compared to the actual value.

From the data journalism community

Women's media entrepreneurship programme (in French)

Women media entrepreneurs whose project started less than 18 months ago and aspiring women entrepreneurs can apply for this programme. Source is a free program created by Créatis, funded by the European Social Fund, intended for women who are underrepresented in the media and culture ecosystem. The deadline for the Prep Source is 25 February. The deadline for the Incubation Source is 11 March.

Environmental Journalism contest

Journalists who have completed environmental reporting can submit their work to the Society of Environmental Journalists. The awards honor journalists in 10 categories, including feature story, investigative reporting, explanatory reporting and book. You can find more information here. The deadline is on 1 March.

Louise Weiss prize for European journalism

Ok, it's not entirely #DDJ, and it addresses only to stories published in French, but if you fit the requirements, it might be worth submitting: the Louise Weiss prize for European journalism rewards journalistic reports and analysis, including podcast, video and multimedia features, on any media, on European issues published in French in 2020. Deadline for submitting is 8 March. More info here.

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