You're listening to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast on the 10 issues to watch in 2017.

The challenges posed by migration flows, the threat of terrorism, Brexit and international trade issues have taken a great deal of the EU's time and efforts in 2016.

But where will the focus be in 2017?

Brexit, trade, migration and security issues will still feature high on the EU's agenda,

but other issues are competing for attention, including rising inequalities, the future of the economic and monetary union, and relations

with the new Trump administration. And there's more. Don't miss it.

Since the debt crisis in 2009, the EU seems to have been operating in constant crisis mode,

with new social, economic, political and security challenges, forcing EU leaders and institutions into

long and often difficult discussions. But what are the policies and issues which are going

to focus our attention in 2017? Let's start with a hard social and economic reality, rising

inequalities. Despite declining unemployment, income inequality remains at record high levels in many OECD countries,

and Europe is no exception, though there are marked differences across countries.

But inequality not only refers to differences in salary, but also in opportunities, such as access to

education and health. And although most tools and policies to fight inequality in the broader sense

remain the preserve of the member states,

there are some things the EU is planning to do in 2017.

For instance, working towards inclusive growth and social innovation,

ensuring the social dimension of the economic and monetary union

through the creation of a European pillar for social rights, pushing for more cooperation and coordination between national tax authorities to combat

tax fraud and tax evasion, and increasing access to better education and employment, especially

among young people. To achieve this, new rules on apprenticeships will be put forward in 2017 as part of the EU's new skills agenda,

and Erasmus Pro, a branch of the Erasmus Plus programme to support long-term apprenticeships abroad, will be launched.

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