Brussels, 02/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - According to data published by Eurostat on Tuesday 2 June, social protection spending accounted for 26.9% of EU GDP in 2006. This rate was 27.1% in 2005 and 2004 and 27.2% in 2003. The EU average in 2006 continued to mask major disparities between member states. In 2006, social protection expenditure as a percentage of GDP was above 30% in France (31.1%), Sweden (30.7%) and Belgium (30.1%), and below 15% in Latvia (12.2%), Estonia (12.4%), Lithuania...