When voters in Greece and France got the chance, they dealt a resounding «No!» to parties backing austerity measures. The Irish could be next to give the European Union’s austerity plans a black eye.
05/11/2012
— Filed under: Politics
Tags: democratic test, EU
Read more: calling card to south korea
Greece must respect its commitments, Commission says (Adds more quotes, background)
05/10/2012
— Filed under: Politics
Tags: EU Commission, euro zone, Greece
Chancellor Angela Merkel would welcome joint German-Italian approval of key EU crisis-fighting measures, her spokesman said Wednesday, but denied a report their parliaments had reached such an accord.
04/28/2012
— Filed under: Politics
Tags: crisis-fighting measures, Italy, Merkel
EU leaders share responsibility for the rise in popularity of anti-European parties, the European Commission said Monday (23 April) but rejected the notion that austerity measures are contributing to the trend.
Speaking a day after Marine Le Pen’s National Front party clocked up a record 17,9 percent of the vote in first round of French presidential elections in a campaign that focused on immigration, Brussels-bashing and single-currency-bashing, the commission said «more Europe» is needed.
«Faced with this crisis we need more Europe. We need member states to work together for the citizens. National solutions in a global village is not the way forward,» said commission spokesperson Olivier Bailly.
He added that all EU leaders as well as the commission bore part of the blame.
«There is indeed a share of responsibility for all EU leaders — and we are part of them so we are ready to look at that.»
His words come amid widespread concern that the prolonged economic crisis is contributing to increased nationalism, protectionism and euroscepticism. Nationalist parties scored well in the latest elections in Sweden, Hungary and Finland.
Attempts to rein in deficit spending are already causing political difficulty in many other member states.
Even as it was becoming clear that Le Pen had persuaded almost one in five French voters to send their ballot her way, in neighbouring Holland the government was collapsing.
The eurosceptic anti-immigrant Freedom Party, which came third in 2010 elections, at the weekend withdrew its support from the minority government over The Hague’s attempts to bring its budget deficit in line with EU rules.
Meeting for a regular council on Monday, EU foreign ministers expressed concern about Europe’s political health and specifically about Le Pen’s performance.
«I’m concerned with sentiments that are against open societies, against an open Europe,» Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt said. Austria’s Michael Spindelegger said the result «has to give us food for thought.»
Jean Asselborn of Luxembourg took the strongest line. He directly accused the incumbent French leader Nicolas Sarkozy of contributing to the result by hardening his rhetoric and challenging core EU policies.
«If you repeat every day that we must change Schengen [the EU passport-free area], that we have to have a tough immigration policy, that we have to talk about French exceptionalism, that is grist to the mill of the National Front,» he said.
For his aprt, the EU commission’s Bailly cautioned against linking austerity measures with the euro-backlash, however.
«The countries where there is most populism are not the ones that suffer from the current austerity,» he said.
One likely test will be the Greek elections on 6 May — the same day as the second round of the French elections. The country’s far-right Golden Dawn party, with its neo-facist roots, is hoping to break the three percent threshold and to make it into parliament.
They see their electoral chances as improving because Greek people are increasingly weary of the harsh austerity measures they have to endure in turn for EU a
04/23/2012
— Filed under: Politics
Tags: far-right, politicians
European markets opened in the red on Monday and continue falling, as the developments in the area over the weekend undermined sentiment. Spain, France and Holland are the three countries where recent events have once again cast a shadow over the Eurozone’s future.
Leading Dutch companies face having to change their auditor at least once every eight years under rapid reforms that could herald a similar crackdown across the European Union.
IS it really in Europe’s interest to provoke a trade war with emerging markets in Southeast Asia and Latin America over biofuels? Of course it is not.
04/13/2012
— Filed under: Politics,Society
Tags: biofuel policy, environment, EU
Nicolas Sarkozy has threatened to bring back passport checks for all EU citizens entering France if member countries fail to seal their borders against illegal immigrants.
The French president named Greece as a key culprit allowing asylum seekers to flood across its ‘unguarded frontier’ with Turkey.
He set a one-year deadline for EU nations to tighten security before France pulls out of the Schengen Agreement that allows free travel between 25 countries.
He said yesterday: ‘There are 120km between Greece and Turkey which are not guarded.
‘I am within my rights to demand what the sanctions should be. I give one year for this practice to change, otherwise we suspend our membership of the Schengen Agreement.
‘As it is France which has the most generous welfare benefits, we are the ones most affected by putting these measures into place properly.’
Mr Sarkozy’s increasingly tough stance on immigration is seen as an attempt to win over voters of the extremist National Front party as he falls behind socialist rival Francois Hollande in the polls for this month’s presidential election.
His remarks come a month after he said tightening border security was the only way to avoid ‘the implosion of Europe’.
Mr Sarkozy told an election rally in March: ‘Unchecked immigration thwarts Europe’s ability to take in and integrate new entrants and puts strains on social safety nets for the most disadvantaged across the continent.’
Right of passage: German police officers wave EU flags after the border station with the Czech Republic is closed in 2007 following the Schengen agreement, which allows free travel between 25 countries
The UK did not sign up to the Schengen Agreement and Britons still need a passport to visit France.
But any changes would mean passport checks for all European and non-EU travellers arriving in France.
Mr Sarkozy also warned yesterday that France would impose its own barriers to cheap non-EU imported goods unless trade protection regulations were tightened.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2127108/Nicolas-Sarkozy-threatens-quit-passport-deal-EU-countries-dont-seal-borders-illegal-immigrants.html#ixzz1rY5TYVKB
04/12/2012
— Filed under: Politics
Tags: illegal immigrants, Nicolas Sarkozy
SPAIN IS coming under renewed political scrutiny in Europe as premier Mariano Rajoy struggles to convince investors that his administration can assert control over the country’s wayward finances.
04/10/2012
— Filed under: Politics
Tags: bond auction, Spain
The Croatian government rejected bids for three loss-making, state-owned shipyards on Thursday and pledged to find a solution by July for a key issue it needs to resolve before joining the European Union next year.
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