Brussels, 28/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - Expenditure on social protection accounted for 27.6% of GDP in the EU in 1999, the same ratio as in 1998. After increasing in the early 1990s, from 25.5% in 1990 to 28.8% in 1993, expenditure on social protection as a percentage of GDP then fell to 27.6% in 1998. These are the latest Eurostat figures in a report published on Friday on social protection in Europe between 1990 and 1999. Expenditure on the 'old age' and 'survivors' functions got the lion's...