PREDICTIONS OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GLOBAL TRENDS

The geopolitical situation is characterized by the multiplication and overlapping of major crises that also impact on the economic and social level. The effects of the military conflict provoked by the Russian Federation in Ukraine and its impact on the economy of EU Member States, including Romania, are explained in detail in this paper. At the same time, the paper aims to explain how this "storm of crises" may affect European societies in social terms, namely the risk of triggering protest demonstrations, including violent ones, amid the population's dissatisfaction with rising inflation and falling purchasing power. The paper also aims to explain how the current poles of power are influencing the world economy and what possible structural changes may occur, with an impact on the European economy, including to Romania. A relevant development can be observed at the social level, where there is a risk of the rise to power of far-right ideological formations that will exploit the discontent in Western societies. In this context, pro-active measures are needed to avoid a potential deep economic crisis, while raising the standard of living of the population in European countries.