The model that fuels Europe's protests

An Express Tribune opinion piece links protests spreading across France, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Belgium to rising living costs and pressure on public services. It cites 2025 European Union figures showing 92.7 million people, nearly 21% of the population, face poverty or social exclusion, including 19.3 million children.

The article argues that these strains expose weaknesses in Europe’s economic model, including reduced state influence, uneven tax burdens and inadequate redistribution. It also criticises the system’s reliance on interest-based finance, arguing that it can draw money away from productive investment and contribute to unemployment and poverty.

The writer proposes Islamic and Chinese economic models as alternatives, while noting that the former is not implemented in practice and that the EU regards China as an ideological rival. The piece says debate about China’s approach is growing in Europe, but offers an opinion rather than reporting a policy change.