Berlin, Nov 16 (EFE) .- The recovery of the labor market in the EU has generated a "clear upturn" in social justice in the member countries, but Spain, despite a slight improvement, It remains in the caboose of the 28, only ahead of Italy, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, according to a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation.

The "Social Justice Index 2017", published On the eve of the Social Summit that will bring together European leaders in Gothenburg (Sweden), it analyzes a total of 38 social and economic criteria and is once again led by Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

All three get a rating above 7, while Greece continues to close the list with 3.7.

Spain remains with a 4.96 - against the it obtains its better classification when studying the health and the health (position 12), but it is placed in the group of the last five countries in two of the six dimensions of social justice analyzed: access to the labor market (position 27) and equity in education (23).

In prevention of poverty, it ranks 21st, as well as in intergenerational justice, while that in social cohesion and non-discrimination it rises to position 16.

The report states that the recovery of labor markets in most of the member countries - the unemployment in 2016 has decreased to 8.7% in the Union average, from 11% in 2013 - it is the "main driver" of the improvement in participation opportunities, but also that progress is being made at two speeds.

The gap between northern and southern Europe is still large and in the southern states in crisis "children and young people continue to be in a important risk of poverty and exclusion above the average ".

In the case of Spain, the Foundation notes the decline in the unemployment rate to 19.7% in 2016, from 26.2 registered in 2013, but also underlines that the country faces "important political challenges to achieve broad-based social justice".

"Despite the signs of recovery of the brutal recession, the greatest of these (challenges) continues to be ensuring equitable access to the labor market, "the report highlights, pointing specifically to the long-term unemployed duration and young people.

Although there are "slight symptoms" of recovery in the area of �??�??poverty prevention, there are no radical advances and, moreover, "only in Romania, Lithuania and Bulgaria the distribution of income is more unequal, "the Foundation said in a statement.

There are still deficits in the field of education and, despite the In recent years, the dropout rate was still at 19% in 2016, second only to Malta.

As a positive element, the Foundation highlighted the "very positive" attitude of the Spanish population to immigrants and assessed that, despite the crisis, populist right and xenophobic forces have not proliferated, as in other partners Europeans.

"Across the EU, political leadership is needed," said the president of the Bertelsmann Foundation, Aart De Geus, in a global assessment of the study.

The 2017 Index shows in general that the risk of being affected by poverty and social exclusion, which affected 24.7% of the European population at the height of the crisis, between 2012, has decreased and 2013, and now stands at 23.4%.

However, remember that the percentage represents about 117.5 million people and rises in the southern countries, up to 35 28.7% of Italy or 27.9% of Spain.

The risk is even higher for certain social groups and the report shows that 26.5% of children and young people under at risk of poverty in the EU, a percentage that rises to 37.5% in Greece and to 32.9% in Spain.

According to the Bertelsmann Foundation, IF the recovery of labor markets persists expect the gap between northern and southern Europe to decrease in the future.