Not a day goes by without current events giving us a reason to think deeply about the state of the country and arrive at some pessimistic provisional conclusions.

Finland remains the happiest country in the world according to theWorld Happiness ReportDespite its struggling economy battling stagnation, the unemployment rate is already the second highest in the EU (only behind Spain), and imbalances in public finances are leading to significant cuts in its prized welfare state. Not so many years ago, the Nordic country was an example of what are known as... countries frugal and one of the EU's most fiscally disciplined partners. Now things have changed, and the country's public debt is projected to reach 90% next year, almost 50% higher than in 2019. The public deficit has also risen this year to 4.5% of GDP, a figure higher than the 3% of GDP tolerated by Brussels.

France is experiencing another day of chaos this Thursday due to the general strike called to protest the cuts intended by the previous government. Despite the change of prime minister—the Macronist Sébastien Lecornu was appointed last week to replace François Bayrou—unions and left-wing parties believe the new government will also include budget cuts. The strike is a warning for Lecornu. "It is the street that must write the budget, and if not, it will be Mr. Lecornu who will end up on the street," warned Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT.