National policing cannot solve Europe’s shared cost-of-living unrest

Street clashes and looting in Paris and Milan have triggered immediate political recriminations and calls for tougher policing across member states. In France, police recorded 855 arrests in Paris during demonstrations, drawing sharp condemnation from President Emmanuel Macron, who declared that nothing justifies violence (ANSA). Meanwhile, in Italy, protests focused on high prices and the rising cost of living turned violent along Milan’s Via Torino, where shops were vandalised and 50 people were detained (Ta Nea).

The immediate domestic reaction in both countries has been predictable political infighting over law and order. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni convened an emergency security summit as Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi argued over police presence, even as figures showed that 80% of those detained in the city were minors (ANSA).

Maintaining public order and protecting local businesses from vandalism is a fundamental duty of national governments. Yet treating these outbursts purely as isolated domestic security failures ignores the wider reality. Young citizens across the continent are experiencing the exact same economic pressures, from price inflation to diminished opportunities.

When social friction erupts simultaneously in major European cities, national security summits offer only temporary fixes. Fragmented debates on policing will not address the root causes of economic distress. European leaders must look beyond domestic political blame games and recognise that economic resilience and youth opportunity are common challenges requiring collective European solutions.