Politics.be
12 mei 2012, 11:40
Greece euro exit talk grows after inconclusive electionsNo stable majority emerged from the Greek general elections on 6 May, with several parties opposed to the EU-IMF bailout programme winning a considerable number of seats. Talks to form a coalition are still under way, although both Antonis Samaras, the leader of centre-right New Democracy party, and Alexis Tsipras, the leader of left-wing, anti-bailout SYRIZA party, already failed their attempts. There is a distinct possibility of new elections as early as mid-June. Germany has warned Greece that, unless it sticks to its bailout agreement, it will have to leave the eurozone.
Open Europe's Director Mats Persson appeared on BBC News, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Five Live, discussing the implications of the Greek elections for the future of the eurozone. Raoul Ruparel was quoted by the Associated Press and USA Today. Open Europe's blog post outlining the possible political scenarios in Greece following the election results was cited by Greek business daily Kerdos and business weekly Isotim�*a. Open Europe's daily press summary was cited by the FT's Alphaville blog.
New Open Europe briefing: What will the French presidential election mean for Europe?
Socialist front-runner François Hollande was elected as the next French President in the final run-off against Nicolas Sarkozy. Ahead of the vote, Open Europe published a briefing looking at how a victory for either candidate could impact on the eurozone and the EU as a whole. Open Europe's Vincenzo Scarpetta was quoted by Spanish daily El Mundo, Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, and EurActiv saying, "Clearly, under Hollande, Germany will find it far more difficult to push its vision of a eurozone based on strong budget discipline."
Mats Persson appeared on Sky News, and Pieter Cleppe on German radio Deutschlandfunk, both discussing the French elections. Open Europe's briefing also featured on the Telegraph and Guardian's live blogs, and various other news sites.
In an op-ed for the Telegraph, Mats argued that Hollande’s victory marks an opportunity for Cameron to strengthen ties with Germany. He argued, "With Berlin growing anxious, this is the perfect chance for No 10 to begin a concerted effort to lure Berlin in the direction of a more liberal, outward-looking Europe. Cameron won’t break the Franco-German axis – nor should he try to. But he could now create a lot of goodwill in Berlin by throwing his weight behind a Europe based on sound money and that lives within its means."
Raoul Ruparel: Problems with Spanish banks threaten to push the country into a bailout
Writing in City AM, Open Europe's Head of Economic Research Raoul Ruparel argued, "What’s clear is that, until the problems are fully addressed, the Spanish banking sector malaise will still threaten to engulf the whole economy and potentially drive the country into a full bailout programme." Raoul also appeared on Al-Jazeera English discussing the problems facing Spanish banks.
Off target: The case for bringing EU regional policy back home
Following the publication of its report on EU regional policy, Open Europe gave oral evidence to the Department for Communities and Local Government parliamentary select committee’s inquiry on the effectiveness of the EU’s European Regional Development Fund in reducing regional disparities and boosting jobs and growth in England.
Government's plans to ratify EU Treaty change may run into trouble with Conservative MPs
The Queen's Speech outlined plans for a new Bill to ratify an EU Treaty change envisaging the creation of the eurozone's permanent bailout mechanism, the ESM. Mats Persson was quoted by the Times, saying, "There are two issues with this EU treaty change that could cause big problems: first, it allows the eurozone to integrate further with consequences for UK interests; second, the quid pro quo guarantee that the UK won’t be forced to contribute to euro bailouts in future may not be legally binding."
Christopher Howarth: If the Conservatives' UKIP problem looks bad now, wait until 2014
On Conservative Home, Open Europe's Christopher Howarth argued, "Events are conspiring to create a perfect UKIP storm going into the 2014 European elections just before the (now fixed) 2015 general election." Chris concluded that it is important that the Conservative Party "sets out distinctive policies, based around getting powers back from the EU that would in due course go into their manifesto."
Open Europe fact-checks the European Commission's 2013 EU budget
Open Europe's briefing on the Commission's proposed 6.8% increase in the EU budget for next year continued to receive coverage, featuring on page 2 of the Sun, the FT's Alphaville blog and Slovakian business daily Hospodárske Noviny. Mats Persson was quoted by Reuters, saying, "The Commission keeps referring to this idea of having to pay the bills, but it strikes completely the wrong chord with people. Like any household, if you don't have enough cash to pay the bills you have to find savings in other areas."
And finally...
The European Court of Justice spends €15,000 every year on stocking up its private wine cellar with fine vintages, including Spanish Rioja 'Marqués del Romeral' and French Pomerol 'Château Bellegrave'. The cellar is valued at €70,000. Open Europe’s Pawel Swidlicki was quoted by Bild, Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws and Dutch daily De Telegraaf, saying, "The ECJ’s demands for an additional €29 million from next year’s EU budget while it hoards a selection of fine wines are symptomatic of the EU’s wider disconnect from the everyday realities facing European taxpayers, and show that contrary to the EU’s protestations, there is ample scope for easy savings."
Bron: politics.be (http://www.politics.be/persmededelingen/32520/)
Open Europe's Director Mats Persson appeared on BBC News, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Five Live, discussing the implications of the Greek elections for the future of the eurozone. Raoul Ruparel was quoted by the Associated Press and USA Today. Open Europe's blog post outlining the possible political scenarios in Greece following the election results was cited by Greek business daily Kerdos and business weekly Isotim�*a. Open Europe's daily press summary was cited by the FT's Alphaville blog.
New Open Europe briefing: What will the French presidential election mean for Europe?
Socialist front-runner François Hollande was elected as the next French President in the final run-off against Nicolas Sarkozy. Ahead of the vote, Open Europe published a briefing looking at how a victory for either candidate could impact on the eurozone and the EU as a whole. Open Europe's Vincenzo Scarpetta was quoted by Spanish daily El Mundo, Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, and EurActiv saying, "Clearly, under Hollande, Germany will find it far more difficult to push its vision of a eurozone based on strong budget discipline."
Mats Persson appeared on Sky News, and Pieter Cleppe on German radio Deutschlandfunk, both discussing the French elections. Open Europe's briefing also featured on the Telegraph and Guardian's live blogs, and various other news sites.
In an op-ed for the Telegraph, Mats argued that Hollande’s victory marks an opportunity for Cameron to strengthen ties with Germany. He argued, "With Berlin growing anxious, this is the perfect chance for No 10 to begin a concerted effort to lure Berlin in the direction of a more liberal, outward-looking Europe. Cameron won’t break the Franco-German axis – nor should he try to. But he could now create a lot of goodwill in Berlin by throwing his weight behind a Europe based on sound money and that lives within its means."
Raoul Ruparel: Problems with Spanish banks threaten to push the country into a bailout
Writing in City AM, Open Europe's Head of Economic Research Raoul Ruparel argued, "What’s clear is that, until the problems are fully addressed, the Spanish banking sector malaise will still threaten to engulf the whole economy and potentially drive the country into a full bailout programme." Raoul also appeared on Al-Jazeera English discussing the problems facing Spanish banks.
Off target: The case for bringing EU regional policy back home
Following the publication of its report on EU regional policy, Open Europe gave oral evidence to the Department for Communities and Local Government parliamentary select committee’s inquiry on the effectiveness of the EU’s European Regional Development Fund in reducing regional disparities and boosting jobs and growth in England.
Government's plans to ratify EU Treaty change may run into trouble with Conservative MPs
The Queen's Speech outlined plans for a new Bill to ratify an EU Treaty change envisaging the creation of the eurozone's permanent bailout mechanism, the ESM. Mats Persson was quoted by the Times, saying, "There are two issues with this EU treaty change that could cause big problems: first, it allows the eurozone to integrate further with consequences for UK interests; second, the quid pro quo guarantee that the UK won’t be forced to contribute to euro bailouts in future may not be legally binding."
Christopher Howarth: If the Conservatives' UKIP problem looks bad now, wait until 2014
On Conservative Home, Open Europe's Christopher Howarth argued, "Events are conspiring to create a perfect UKIP storm going into the 2014 European elections just before the (now fixed) 2015 general election." Chris concluded that it is important that the Conservative Party "sets out distinctive policies, based around getting powers back from the EU that would in due course go into their manifesto."
Open Europe fact-checks the European Commission's 2013 EU budget
Open Europe's briefing on the Commission's proposed 6.8% increase in the EU budget for next year continued to receive coverage, featuring on page 2 of the Sun, the FT's Alphaville blog and Slovakian business daily Hospodárske Noviny. Mats Persson was quoted by Reuters, saying, "The Commission keeps referring to this idea of having to pay the bills, but it strikes completely the wrong chord with people. Like any household, if you don't have enough cash to pay the bills you have to find savings in other areas."
And finally...
The European Court of Justice spends €15,000 every year on stocking up its private wine cellar with fine vintages, including Spanish Rioja 'Marqués del Romeral' and French Pomerol 'Château Bellegrave'. The cellar is valued at €70,000. Open Europe’s Pawel Swidlicki was quoted by Bild, Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws and Dutch daily De Telegraaf, saying, "The ECJ’s demands for an additional €29 million from next year’s EU budget while it hoards a selection of fine wines are symptomatic of the EU’s wider disconnect from the everyday realities facing European taxpayers, and show that contrary to the EU’s protestations, there is ample scope for easy savings."
Bron: politics.be (http://www.politics.be/persmededelingen/32520/)