Inequality is on the rise across Europe in the wake of the euro crisis. On May 23rd, the Pew Research Center is going to release the results of its new 39 countries survey, including 8 European Union nations. The Pew survey is the first international poll to assess perceptions of the gap between the rich and the poor in Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Latin America. The worldwide study includes findings on the public’s sense of the fairness of the economic system, people’s perception of whether inequality has grown, its magnitude as a problem today and its priority for policy makers. There is a special emphasis on inequality in Europe and the divisions within Europe on this vital issue.

The Brussels Office of the Bertelsmann Stiftung would cordially like to invite you to a breakfast debate with Bruce Stokes, Director Global Economic Attitudes at the Pew Research Center in Washington D.C., who will present the key findings of this study. We are delighted that Georg Fischer, Director for Analysis, Evaluation and External Relations at the Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, and Maxime Cerutti, Director Social Affairs at BUSINESSEUROPE, have accepted our invitation to join our panel and to discuss the implications of these findings for the political and public perception of growing inequality in Europe.

Our Breakfast Debate "Inequality: A Global Problem, a European Challenge"

will take place

on May 30th from 8h00 to 9h30

in the "Salon" conference room of the Résidence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels.

We would kindly ask you to confirm your participation until Tuesday 28 May by replying to thomas.fischer@bertelsmann-stiftung.de.