view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU ''Airbrushes'' Antisemitism out of Toulouse killings

Posted by Scorpio7 on Thu Apr 12 08:02:06 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU "Airbrushes" Antisemitism out of Toulouse killings, posted by Olog-hai on Thu Apr 12 01:36:41 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU ''Airbrushes'' Antisemitism out of Toulouse killings

Posted by SLRT on Thu Apr 12 10:20:03 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU "Airbrushes" Antisemitism out of Toulouse killings, posted by Olog-hai on Thu Apr 12 01:36:41 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU ''Airbrushes'' Antisemitism out of Toulouse killings

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Apr 12 20:05:23 2012, in response to Re: EUEUEUEUEU ''Airbrushes'' Antisemitism out of Toulouse killings, posted by SLRT on Thu Apr 12 10:20:03 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

EUEUEUEUEU pushing for more *secrecy* from public

Posted by Olog-hai on Fri Apr 13 04:31:23 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

Officials, diplomats want even more EU secrecy

12.04.12 @ 18:19
By Andrew Rettman

BRUSSELS — Most member states and EU institutions are keen to draw a new veil of secrecy over how they appoint top officials and enforce EU law.

The rights of journalists, NGOs and average people to get access to internal EU documents is currently governed by a regulation from 2001.

It is already hard to gain access because there is no simple registry of which documents exist and because it can take long legal battles to make institutions drop their objections — for instance, on grounds that it would violate people's privacy, threaten national security or that there is no "overriding public interest" to publish sensitive information.

The Danish EU presidency will on Friday (13 April) hold talks with fellow member states on a new version of the rules.

But an internal note drafted by the EU Council on 30 March and leaked by London-based NGO ClientEarth indicates that access is about to get even harder.

The six-page-long note says that several member states want a new definition of what constitutes an "EU document" to exclude vast swathes of material — such as informal emails — from access.

The EU Council, the European Commission and most countries are also keen to exclude documents relating to appointments of top officials and judges and to introduce "special protection" for papers on competition cases, EU court proceedings, infringement proceedings and legal advice given by EU institutions to their own policymakers.

A Danish diplomat told EUobserver the presidency will propose excluding material which fails to meet "pre-document" criteria — such as an email drafted by an EU official which reflects their private views, but has not been endorsed as formal policy.

The contact noted that EU case law — such as the so-called Turco ruling in 2008, which called for greater access to EU institutions' legal opinions — could be written into the new regulation to offset "special protection" for the competition, infringement and legal papers.

But the Danish source added that this is the "make-or-break" or "most difficult" issue in the talks.

"There are strong views that making the legal opinions open to public scrutiny would mean they are less robust in the first place ... there is no easy answer to this," the source said.

The pro-secrecy trend comes at a time when EU bodies are getting important new powers on oversight of national budgets.

For her part, Anais Berthier, a ClientEarth lawyer, said it also goes against the Lisbon Treaty, which declares in its opening words it wants "an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as openly as possible."

"Confidentiality creates suspicion — if the process was more transparent, it would make the decisions more legitimate and people would adhere more closely to the Union. But the council and the commission clearly want the least possible public participation," she noted.

On infringement procedures — in which the commission can fine EU countries for not complying with EU laws — EU spokesmen give snippets of information in press briefings.

But Berthier said unless documents are made public while the procedure is ongoing, people cannot understand what their government is accused of doing wrong and civil society cannot monitor if EU officials are really enforcing EU law or if they are just cutting deals for everyone to save face.

On the issue of behind-closed-doors appointments, she noted that EU bodies have an awful track record — in one recent example, it took a series of leaks and investigative reports to expose that the EU food safety agency in Italy is being run by food industry lobbyists.

ClientEarth's views were endorsed by over 80 more NGOs in an open letter to EU institutions on 10 April.

But another Danish presidency contact indicated they are fighting a losing battle. "Looking at past discussions, you basically have three to five EU delegations on one side [pro-transparency] and everybody else on the other side," he said.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

(EUEUEUEUEU) German state worker admits doing no work for 14 years

Posted by Olog-hai on Fri Apr 13 12:36:08 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

A Retiring German State Worker Emailed His Coworkers To Tell Them He Hadn't Done Any Work For The Last 14 Years

Adam Taylor | Apr. 11, 2012, 7:04 PM

An administrative employee in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has sent a mass email to colleagues on the day he retired, revealing how he had nothing to do for the past 14 years, Die Welt reports.

"Since 1998, I was only present but not really there. So I'm going to be well prepared to retire" his farewell email explained, before revealing that during that time he had been paid €745,000 (around $975,000) by the city of Minden.

He blamed a parallel structure for depriving him of work, but the mayor of Minden told journalists that he was in a “considerable pinch of rage” when he saw the letter, the Local reports.

The retiree was apparently unprepared for the amount of attention the letter has received in the German press.

“I do not wish to say anything else,” he told his local paper. “That email was not intended for public view.”

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

George Soros tells Germany to bail out €uro (EUEUEUEUEU)

Posted by Olog-hai on Sun Apr 15 17:18:12 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

Soros: Germany should bail out the euro

Published: 15 Apr 12 09:59 CET

A new approach to saving the euro is needed and Germany should finance it, George Soros, the star investor and hedge fund manager told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

The US investor, known for nearly bringing the Bank of England to its knees in a wave of currency speculation in 1992, laid out an elaborate plan for saving the common currency, in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

He was also quick to blame the German government and its federal bank, the Bundesbank, for the euro's current woes.

“German policy and above all the Bundesbank stuck with their rigid dogma and it is making it dangerous for the euro,” he said.

But the bottom line of his thinking is that Germany, as the continent’s strongest economy and big winner from the common currency, needs to finance the way out of the current monetary mess.

“The Germans have to decide if they want the euro or not,” Soros said. “If they do, then they have to make the transfers. If not, they should leave [the currency zone].”

But a German exit from the euro would provoke serious damage to German exports, Soros notes. “The new German currency would appreciate sharply,” he warned.

Soros, a US investor with Hungarian roots, said, “there is no (currency) union without transfers — either political or monetary.”

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: George Soros tells Germany to bail out €uro (EUEUEUEUEU)

Posted by AlM on Sun Apr 15 17:39:36 2012, in response to George Soros tells Germany to bail out €uro (EUEUEUEUEU), posted by Olog-hai on Sun Apr 15 17:18:12 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: George Soros tells Germany to bail out €uro (EUEUEUEUEU)

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Sun Apr 15 18:58:00 2012, in response to Re: George Soros tells Germany to bail out €uro (EUEUEUEUEU), posted by AlM on Sun Apr 15 17:39:36 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

EUEUEUEUEU's "Berlin Group" now plotting for a "Super-President"

Posted by Olog-hai on Mon Apr 23 02:17:47 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

Ministers ponder creation of EU super-president

20.04.12 @ 09:16
By Andrew Rettman

BRUSSELS — Ideas kicking around in a reflection group of select EU foreign ministers include merging the roles of the EU Council and European Commission presidents.

A senior EU source told this website following a meeting of the club in the Val Duchesse stately home in Brussels on Thursday (19 April) that the new supremo would have more power than either Herman Van Rompuy or Jose Manuel Barroso do today but also more "democratic legitimacy" because he or she would be elected by MEPs.

In other reforms, the new figure would "streamline" the European Commission into a two-tier structure. Every EU country would still have its own commissioner with their own vote in the college of 27 top officials. But as in some national set-ups, some commissioners would have more than one dossier while others would be the equivalent of ministers without portfolio.

The new super-president would also chair General Affairs Councils (GACs) — monthly meetings of foreign ministers which discuss internal Union affairs.

The EU Council President post was created by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. But the Lisbon architecture is messy, with Van Rompuy, for instance, overseeing recent debate on EU fiscal reform, while Barroso's commission puts forward its own ideas and implements final decisions.

Van Rompuy and Barroso also represent the Union at international summits. But Van Rompuy is top dog in terms of protocol, while another post-Lisbon creature, the EU "high representative" — a job currently filled by Catherine Ashton — does day-to-day foreign relations.

Meanwhile, the GAC — an increasingly important policy-making body — is still chaired by a national minister from the rotating EU presidency.

"I have heard experts who say that it [the Van-Rompuy-Barroso merger] could be done without changing the [Lisbon] Treaty ... there is no appetite for a new Treaty," the EU source said.

The reflection group was formed by German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle in Berlin in March. It plans to meet two more times before the summer recess and to circulate a discussion paper at EU27-level in September.

The other countries in the club are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain. The French minister did not attend Thursday's session, however.

The Val Duchesse event also covered debate on "eurobonds" — the idea of mutualizing EU government debt, a controversial one in Germany, where voters are hostile to paying more to borrow money so that weaker economies in the south can pay less.

"It could be acceptable for new projects, but not to guarantee bad ones from the past, or old bad debt," the EU source said.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

EUEUEUEUEU causes another national government to fall (Romania)

Posted by Olog-hai on Fri Apr 27 17:37:34 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

Romanian government is latest victim of EU austerity

April 27, 2012 | 12:37 pm
By Carol J. Williams

Romania's government fell after a no-confidence vote and the leadership of the Czech Republic narrowly survived a similar challenge Friday in the latest challenges to European efforts to heal the Continent's debt crisis with tough spending cuts and higher taxes.

Jobless rates also rose this week in Spain and France, where austerity measures are angering citizens and undermining faith in the government officials trying to balance budgets and shore up the euro common currency.

The governments of Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland already have fallen as the European Union struggles to restore economic stability to its 27 member states. Now, the Romanian parliament by a narrow margin has declared no confidence in the 2-month-old leadership of Prime Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu.

Romanian opposition to belt-tightening swelled to an intensity not seen since the 1989 pro-democracy revolution as the government boosted a sales tax to 24% and cut the salaries of government workers. The spending constraints are an attempt to satisfy conditions imposed after a 2009 bailout by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

President Traian Basescu later nominated opposition leader Victor Ponta to succeed Ungureanu, the national news agency Agerpres reported. Ponta, 39, had been a critic of government actions that have hit Romanian civil servants with major pay cuts and raised the cost of living for many others. He will have to submit his own proposal to parliament for meeting the country's bailout obligations.

In Prague, where the Czech Republic's three-party coalition collapsed earlier this week, Prime Minister Petr Necas won grudging endorsement to continue his program of tax hikes and spending cuts on services including higher education, pensions and healthcare. Necas won 105 votes from 198 deputies after a nine-hour debate dominated by critics demanding his resignation and early elections, the CTK news agency reported.

Some lawmakers who defected last week nonetheless stood by Necas, heeding the warnings of respected economists that essential austerity measures will only be more painful if postponed.

More than 100,000 people protested the cuts at a rally in Prague a week ago, one of the largest outpourings of discontent since the Velvet Revolution that ended Communist rule 22 years ago.

Hungary's economy is also hobbled by a credit crunch, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged the IMF on Friday to swiftly negotiate an emergency borrowing option for Budapest in case of turmoil in the European bond market.

The Netherlands was at risk of missing the EU's budget-deficit target for a fifth year before the government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte cut a deal with the opposition this week that will keep austerity measures in place until new elections in September.

Both Greece and France are in the throes of heated election campaigns in which opposition candidates are gaining traction because of hardships brought about by budget-balancing measures.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU causes another national government to fall (Romania)

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Fri Apr 27 18:31:31 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU causes another national government to fall (Romania), posted by Olog-hai on Fri Apr 27 17:37:34 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU causes another national government to fall (Romania)

Posted by Fred G on Fri Apr 27 18:42:36 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU causes another national government to fall (Romania), posted by Olog-hai on Fri Apr 27 17:37:34 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

EUEUEUEUEU "stability mechanism" to be immune "from every form of judicial process"

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat Apr 28 14:14:46 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

European Stability Mechanism and its huge powers

October 5^th, 2011 | Author: Jeff Taylor

As we in the UK hover on the outskirts of the Euro dithering indecisively about our future, it is worth having a quick look at the straitjacket that the Eurozone members are fitting themselves with in the form of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

The ESM is due to start a phased takeover from the ESFS from June 2013 and will over the first five years gather €700 billion from the member states on a pro rata basis to be used to bolster up any country that gets into difficulty.

May sound reasonable, but look at how the ESM is set up according to the ESM treaty.

Apart from its Board of Governors consisting of member state finance ministers, there appears to be absolutely no accountability to the system at all. And check out the voting powers: it only needs a quorum of ⅔ who between them have ⅔ of voting powers. That is to say that not all Governors are equal in that they have different voting weights based on country/population size.

Under Article 8, the starting point in capital terms is €700 billion. But under Article 10, this can be increased as the board sees fit with, it seems, no cap.

Then under Article 7, member states have just seven days to stump up with the cash required. But look at the wording used here:

ESM Members hereby irrevocably and unconditionally undertake to pay on demand any capital call made on them by the Managing Director pursuant to this paragraph, such demand to be paid within seven days of receipt.

How can a democratic government of a member state ‘irrevocably and unconditionally undertake’ anything? What if the next government wants to change its mind? It attempts to bind future parliaments and make them subservient to the ESM in matters of national debt!

Now we get to the really interesting part. The ESM will be a legal body in its own right able to partake in contracts, acquire and dispose of property, and be a party to legal proceedings. Sound reasonable? Well actually it’s all one-sided.

Under Article 27, it is immune from legal proceedings and inspection:

3. The ESM, its property, funding and assets, wherever located and by whomsoever held, shall enjoy immunity from every form of judicial process except to the extent that the ESM expressly waives its immunity for the purpose of any proceedings or by the terms of any contract, including the documentation of the funding instruments.
   
   
4. The property, funding and assets of the ESM shall, wherever located and by whomsoever held, be immune from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation or any other form of seizure, taking or foreclosure by executive, judicial, administrative or legislative action.

And under sections 5 and 6 the archives and premises of the ESM and all documents belonging to the ESM or held by it, shall both be inviolable.

This immunity is also extended to those that work for the ESM under Article 30, with some interesting exemptions from national income tax for them in Article 31.

This highly unaccountable body is also given the power to deal directly with the IMF.

There is also no laid-out reporting structure—well after all, there’s no one for them to report to, is there.

Any disputes concerning ‘interpretation and application’ between ESM members will be resolved by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Does this look and sound like the proper addition of a new authority into what is claimed to be a democratic society? Some of the powers and protections the ESM will enjoy appear more suited to police state.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

EUEUEUEUEU lies about their cars' emissions figures

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat Apr 28 15:28:06 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU "stability mechanism" to be immune "from every form of judicial process", posted by Olog-hai on Sat Apr 28 14:14:46 2012.

---

Why car makers lie about fuel consumption

By Michael Hanlon
27 April 2012 11:16 AM

There are lies, damn lies, statistics — and official EU car fuel consumption figures. I and others have been banging on about this for years: the figures quoted by manufacturers in their ads usually (but, interestingly not always) bears absolutely no relation whatsoever to what happens in the real world.

This scandal has been highlighted in a What Car Report, which this week looked at some of the claims made for the most allegedly economical cars sold in Britain and compared them to real-world consumption figures. And, surprise surprise, some of the most ‘economical’ cars on sale actually use between a quarter and a third more fuel than their ‘official’ figures suggest, adding up to hundreds of pounds a year in extra fuel costs for an average motorist.

Although many cars achieve more than 70-mpg ‘officially’, the reality is that only a handful can crack the 50-mpg barrier in day-to-day driving, even with a light foot. This is a scandal largely glossed over by the motoring press (with the honorable exceptions of Autocar magazine and, now What Car?), and completely ignored by the manufacturers themselves.

So what is going on here? Is this simply lies and coverup on the part of Ford, FIAT and so forth? No, it is more interesting — and more complicated than that.

To get those ‘official’ figures, new cars are subjected to something called the ‘New European Driving Cycle’, a series of short runs on a ‘rolling road’ where the car is accelerated, put on a short cruise and decelerated under laboratory conditions. All the car makers have to put their cars through the same test, so on this level there is no trickery involved. The idea is that the EU has created a level playing field upon which the performance of all cars can be judged.

But it is not as simple as that. Because this is where it gets clever, and some trickery DOES creep in. Some years ago, manufacturers realized that to score well on the official tests, they could tune their engines for maximum efficiency on the rolling road cycle. This was particularly the case for small turbocharged diesel or gasoline engines, and hybrids. For instance, the engine could be set up so that the turbocharger simply does not kick in during the cycle. But take the car out onto a real road, and to get the thing to move at all, the turbo will be needed, massively increasing consumption.

This alone probably explains the shameful discrepancies seen in cars like the VW Golf turbo-diesel Bluemotion. Hybrids and engines like the clever Twinair used by FIAT can be ‘mapped’ to perform spectacularly well during the official cycle, the downside being poor performance when driven on the real road (no such thing as a free lunch). The net effect is that, bizarrely, cars are actually being made less efficient than they need be.

And now it gets even murkier. It is official figures that are used to calculate the official CO₂ ‘emissions’ of these cars, a new set of figures that have serious implications regarding company car and VED tax bands. Even Autocar falls for this, slating a car for the discrepancy between claimed and actual fuel consumption but then stating as fact that such-and-such a vehicle ‘emits’ such-and-such CO₂ based on the official figures.

No, it doesn’t. It emits what it emits (the calculation is simple — divide the number 6740 by the car’s mpg for gasoline engines, 7440 by mpg for diesel). This all adds up to taxman trickery and is, put simply, a con — a con on your wallets, on the taxman and on the environment.

Interestingly, not everyone plays this game. Larger-engined, more powerful cars often return official and actual fuel consumption figures, which more or less agree. Why? It is harder to tune big engines to fool the rolling road. Some BMWs and Porsches actually perform better in real life than the ‘official’ figures suggest.

The system needs to be changed. Anything that is forcing car makers to tune their cars to use more fuel than is needed in the alleged interests of environmental correctness is an abomination.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU ''stability mechanism'' to be immune ''from every form of judicial process''

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Sat Apr 28 18:43:43 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU "stability mechanism" to be immune "from every form of judicial process", posted by Olog-hai on Sat Apr 28 14:14:46 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU lies about their cars' emissions figures

Posted by Dan Lawrence on Sat Apr 28 20:03:54 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU lies about their cars' emissions figures, posted by Olog-hai on Sat Apr 28 15:28:06 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

EUEUEUEUEU—Eurogroup finance minister resigns (the liar); German finance minister may replace him

Posted by Olog-hai on Tue May 1 21:22:56 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

Juncker Says Ceding Euro Job Due to Franco-German Interference

By Brian Parkin | Apr 30, 2012 2:45 PM GMT-0400

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean- Claude Juncker said he’s stepping down as head of the group of euro-area finance ministers because he’s tired of Franco-German interference in managing the region’s debt crisis.

“They act as if they are the only members of the group,” Juncker said today at a podium discussion in Hamburg. At the same time, Juncker said he’d “fully support” a potential candidacy of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble to succeed him at the helm of the Eurogroup.

Schäuble has “superb qualifications” for the job, Juncker said. As a fundamental requirement, the job needs a “personal capacity” to listen to others, he said.

A decision on replacing Juncker has been postponed until after the second round of France’s presidential election. Juncker has repeatedly stated that he won’t seek to remain in the job. On March 2, he cited “time constraints” as his reason for stepping aside.

Juncker said then that he and European Union President Herman Van Rompuy had been charged with putting together a “personnel package” of nominations for the upcoming vacancy on the European Central Bank’s Executive Board as well as the leadership of the Eurogroup, the European Stability Mechanism and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU—Eurogroup finance minister resigns (the liar); German finance minister may replace him

Posted by Olog-hai on Wed May 2 01:22:49 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU—Eurogroup finance minister resigns (the liar); German finance minister may replace him, posted by Olog-hai on Tue May 1 21:22:56 2012.

---

Juncker backs German finance minister for eurozone post

01.05.12 @ 09:30
By Valentina Pop

BRUSSELS — Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker has said he "fully supports" German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble to become his successor when his mandate runs out at the end of May.

According to the Luxembourg Prime Minister — who has chaired meetings of eurozone finance ministers ever since the eurogroup was formalized in 2004 — his successor should be someone who can listen to others and has a deep knowledge of the eurozone issues. "

In this respect, he would be the perfect match," Juncker said about Schäuble on Monday (30 April) during a debate in Hamburg organized by Der Spiegel magazine.

The 69-year old Christian Democrat is a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel and a strong advocate of budgetary discipline in southern countries.

Some diplomats have expressed concerns his appointment would be too strong a signal that Germany is running the single currency. But others say there is no better way to turn a "hawk" into a moderate than by putting him at the helm of the ministers' group, where he has to mediate among 17 different positions.

If Schäuble gets the job, Germany would need to give up its chairmanship of the eurozone bailout funds, however.

Currently, the temporary European Financial Stability Facility is being chaired by Klaus Regling, a former head of the European Commission's financial affairs directorate.

The German economist had hoped to stay on as head of the permanent bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, when it enters life on 1 July, as most of the EFSF staff will be taken over by the ESM. But with Schäuble at the Eurogroup, Spain and France would claim the EFSF/ESM chairmanship for them.

Meanwhile, Finance ministers from all 27 member states meeting on Wednesday (2 May) are to try and agree on a single EU candidate for the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as French, British and Polish candidates float around to succeed Thomas Mirow - a German who wants to stay on but has no backing from Berlin.

EU aspirant Serbia has also put forward a candidate for the pan-European bank.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU—Eurogroup finance minister resigns (the liar); German finance minister may replace him

Posted by SMAZ on Wed May 2 02:22:17 2012, in response to Re: EUEUEUEUEU—Eurogroup finance minister resigns (the liar); German finance minister may replace him, posted by Olog-hai on Wed May 2 01:22:49 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

EUEUEUEUEU "austerity" measures slammed by United Nations agency

Posted by Olog-hai on Wed May 2 20:03:17 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

04/30/2012
'Counterproductive Strategy'

UN Agency Slams European Austerity Measures

A new report by the International Labor Organization has strongly criticized euro-crisis austerity measures. They have had "devastating consequences" for the job market, which could be entering a "new and more problematic phase" worldwide, the report warns.

Governments in many countries, particularly in Europe, have implemented radical reforms and austerity measures in an effort to combat the economic crisis. But this approach has "devastating consequences" on the job market, the International Labor Organization (ILO) warned on Monday.

Furthermore, these measures have not achieved the desired result of reduced deficits, the United Nations agency said. The "World of Work Report 2012" called the global employment situation "alarming," and urged governments to recognize that job-centered policies have a positive effect on the economy.

"The austerity and regulation strategy was expected to lead to more growth, which is not happening," director of the ILO's Institute for International Labor Studies, Raymond Torres, told the press in Geneva. "The strategy of austerity actually has been counterproductive from the point of view of its very objective of supporting confidence and supporting the reduction of budget deficits."

The report could heat up the debate about how to handle the euro crisis, which has recently focused on criticism of German Chancellor Angela Merkel for pushing tough austerity measures on heavily indebted European countries. The recent suggestion by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi to implement a "growth pact" has been met with widespread approval amid the growing austerity backlash.

Conservative French politician and European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Michael Barnier, told German daily Die Welt on Monday that he also supports growth measures. "It is possible to reconcile the good stewardship of public budgets with growth," he told the paper. "Thus I advocate that we prepare a European growth initiative in addition to contracts for budgetary discipline."

Focus on Austerity 'Could Lead to Another Recession'

The ILO says that even the recovery of the world economy has not helped, with unemployment on the rise around the globe. They estimate that some 202 million people will be without jobs in 2012 — up by 6 million from the previous year. Employment won't reach levels seen before the 2008 financial crisis until 2016 at the earliest, some two years later than initially expected, the organization said. The situation could lead to unrest if austerity measures aren't combined with job creation, it added.

Unemployment has grown worldwide in the last six months, particularly in Europe, where more than two-thirds of the countries have seen an increase, according to the report. "The narrow focus of many euro-zone countries on fiscal austerity is deepening the jobs crisis and could even lead to another recession in Europe," Torres said.

He gave the example of Spain, where the deficit was reduced from 9 percent of gross-domestic product (GDP) in 2010 to 8.5 percent of GDP in 2011. The country had very little to show for its "drastic" austerity policies, he said.

Meanwhile, some 40 percent of the unemployed between the ages of 25 and 49 are "demoralized" and have been out of work for more than a year in advanced nations, the report found. Jobless rates among young adults have also increased sharply, leading to a growing risk of social unrest in Africa and the Middle East. Recent reforms have not only failed to create stable jobs, but have also exacerbated inequalities, particularly in Europe, the report found.

Only Six Economies Have Boosted Employment

"At the ILO we understand that fiscal deficits cannot remain high for long. It is important to have a medium-term fiscal consolidation strategy," Torres said. "But it is a question of pace and of content of fiscal consolidation. The pace has to be realistic." Instead of deregulating labor markets, the report suggested that countries focus on improving job quality, in addition to increasing public spending and minimum wages.

Just six advanced economies have managed to increase their employment rates since 2007: Austria, Germany, Israel, Luxembourg and Poland. In the case of Germany, strong exports and economic growth helped keep employment levels strong, SPIEGEL reported before the ILO's release.

The results of collective bargaining so far this year indicate that actual wages could increase in 2012 and 2013. The ILO said the country's biggest challenge will be adjusting actual wages to productivity developments, in addition to improving conditions for atypical employment circumstances such as limited contracts, subcontracted labor, and part-time and low-paying positions.

While the ILO's assessment of Germany was relatively positive, other industrial nations like the United States and Japan came under fire for their sluggish progress. Meanwhile, the organization praised Latin America for reducing unemployment and improving job conditions in some places. Though the threat of social unrest had increased around the world, Latin America has managed to reduce this to an average levels, he report said.

kla, with wire reports

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU ''austerity'' measures slammed by United Nations agency

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed May 2 20:04:26 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU "austerity" measures slammed by United Nations agency, posted by Olog-hai on Wed May 2 20:03:17 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

(EUEUEUEUEU) German toymaker to Israeli client: Jews are "pestilence plague for human being(s)"

Posted by Olog-hai on Wed May 2 21:17:27 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

German firm to Israeli client: Jews are a disease

By GIL SHEFLER
05/03/2012 03:23

Manufacturer in Nuremberg sends anti-Semitic mail to owner of Tel Aviv toy store after business deal turns sour.

Eti Doron wanted to buy toys from a company in Germany for her store in Tel Aviv, but when the deal fell through she started receiving anti-Semitic letters.

Doron provided The Jerusalem Post with emails in which Walter Adler, who identifies as the founder of Hoff-Interieur, a manufacturer based in Nuremberg, calls Jews a disease and praises German poet Günther Grass for saying Israel is a danger to world peace.

“We see that you have decided to be a real Jew, not only a liar but also a cheater,” he wrote in an email. “Your abominable behavior has brought us a big loss. We must remember what was an aphorism over many hundred years in Europe, that some people with your origin are the pestilence-plague for human being. We never thought that this is true, but you confirmed.”

The letter sent from a Hoff-Interieur email address goes on to laud “the great” Grass for saying Israel imperils “world piece” [sic] and lament the “tortures and murders” carried out by Israel against the Palestinians. It ends with the author threatening to arrest Doron if she comes near the company’s stalls.

Doron said she was deeply shocked by the letter, especially because she said no goods ever exchanged hands and the proposed business transaction was small.

“First, I don’t owe them anything,” she said. “I saw their products at a toy fair and tried to place an order for €600, but they could not receive a credit card payment and I backed out. I never received anything from them. In any case, nothing warrants this kind of reply.”

Numerous emails sent to Hoff-Interieur went unanswered.

An answering machine at the company said it was closed for vacation until May 7.

The German-Israeli Chamber of Industry and Commerce on Wednesday recommended Doron sue Hoff-Interieur.

“We’re not even interested in the business aspect of the deal; this is the most anti-Semitic and vile response one can imagine with all the stereotypes of Jews,” said CEO Grisha Alroi-Arloser. “If you look at blogs today in Germany after what Günther Grass said then there is a real problem, a deep-rooted issue that needs to be addressed.”

The office of Arno Hamburger, the head of the Jewish community in Nuremberg, said on Wednesday he would investigate the allegations of anti-Semitism.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) German toymaker to Israeli client: Jews are ''pestilence plague for human being(s)''

Posted by Dave on Wed May 2 21:32:33 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) German toymaker to Israeli client: Jews are "pestilence plague for human being(s)", posted by Olog-hai on Wed May 2 21:17:27 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

EUEUEUEUEU plotting to eliminate member states (part deux)

Posted by Olog-hai on Fri May 4 03:19:07 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

EU PLOT TO SCRAP BRITAIN

Friday May 4,2012
By Macer Hall

SENIOR Eurocrats are secretly plotting to create a super-powerful EU president to realize their dream of abolishing ­Britain and other nation states, the Daily Express can reveal.

A covert group of EU foreign ministers has drawn up plans for merging the jobs currently done by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.

The new bureaucrat, who would not be directly elected by voters, is set to get sweeping control over the entire EU and force member countries into ever-greater political and economic union. Tellingly, the UK has been excluded from the confidential discussions within the shady “Berlin Group” of Europhile politicians, spearheaded by German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle.

Opponents fear the plan could create a modern-day equivalent of the European emperor envisaged by Napoleon Bonaparte or a return to the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne that dominated Europe in the Dark Ages. They are concerned that David Cameron’s coalition Government is doing nothing to prevent the sinister plot. The secret talks were uncovered by Independent Labour peer Lord Stoddart of Swindon.

“This is a plot by people who want to abolish nation states and create a United States of Europe,” he said. “The whole thing is barmy. These people are determined to achieve their final objective. The only hope for Britain is to leave the EU and become an independent nation.”

The move will give further momentum to the Daily Express’s hugely popular crusade for Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.

Tory backbench MP Douglas Carswell said: “It doesn’t matter how you arrange the offices of these technocrats; they are useless at arranging our lives for us, and they are not elected, so they have no legitimacy. My worry is that the president will end up having the charisma of Van Rompuy and the economic management skills of Barroso.”

Euro-MP Paul Nuttall, of the UK Independence Party, said: “This is a truly ridiculous idea that must never be allowed to happen. It sounds as if they are trying to go back to the days of the Holy Roman Emperor.”

At present, the two senior EU bureaucrats, Barroso and Van Rompuy, are locked in a bitter power struggle to determine who is the true big cheese or “grand fromage” in Europe. Former Portuguese premier Barroso, who heads the EU’s executive arm and was elected to his post by members of the European Union, is understood to resent the rival fiefdom of Belgian Van Rompuy, who was chosen by the heads of government of EU member states to represent them.

Under the plan, a single figure would be elected by Euro-MPs to perform both roles.

Supporters of the move believe that the rival presidencies are undermining the EU’s ability to speak with a single voice. They argue that merging the two jobs will create a powerful European leader who is capable of pursuing the federalist dream of a united Europe, which has been severely shaken by the eurozone crisis.

Lord Stoddart confirmed the existence of the plot thanks to a parliamentary written answer in the House of Lords. He asked Foreign Office ministers to reveal what they knew about the merger talks.

In response to his inquiry, Tory Foreign Office minister Lord Howell of Guildford said: “We are aware of one group of EU foreign ministers meeting on an informal basis to discuss a variety of issues related to the future governance of the EU. While the UK is not part of that group, we understand that one idea under discussion is a merger of the positions of president of the European Council and president of the European Commission.”

Lord Howell added: “A merger of the two presidencies would create a potential conflict of interest, undermine the quality of the EU’s decision-making processes and upset the institutional balance within the EU.” Lord Stoddart said: “These sorts of informal discussions within the EU have a habit of rapidly being transferred into formal proposals. Since the Government is not party to these discussions, its reservations are academic. Such a merger would represent a massive shift of power into the hands of a single, unelected bureaucrat. The Government should be taking this far more seriously and voicing its objections very strongly.”

He added: “The holder of this new office would be both Europe’s political and administrative leader, giving them far more powers than those given to the US president. It really is a great disappointment that we have a Conservative-led Government that is supposed to be Euroskeptic, yet ministers just go along with this.”

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: EUEUEUEUEU plotting to eliminate member states (part deux)

Posted by AlM on Fri May 4 07:33:39 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU plotting to eliminate member states (part deux), posted by Olog-hai on Fri May 4 03:19:07 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

(EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to "take the lead" in Europe and the world

Posted by Olog-hai on Tue May 8 00:52:05 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

Under German Leadership (I)

2012/05/02

German foreign policy experts are discussing what form "German leadership" in Europe and the world should take. Germany has "a duty to take the lead," according to the latest edition of the most influential German foreign policy journal "Internationale Politik." Several well-known experts are presenting their proposals on the role German hegemony should play. In addition to advocating Germany's global engagement for free trade and "human rights," experts are proposing that, with its "global political mission," Germany has to reconstitute "the West," i.e. an alliance with the USA. On a par with Washington, Germany should help this alliance experience a "renaïssance." To achieve the necessary political weight, the EU's instruments of power should be used to have "leverage for German foreign policy interests." For the first time, with its current edition, "Internationale Politik" is launching a larger public debate on Berlin's hegemonic policy. Even though this policy is already being applied, until recently, it was officially denied, to avoid humiliating other EU countries.

Show the Direction

"Taking the Lead" is the title and focus of the current edition of "Internationale Politik." As the "European Union's most important shareholder," as its "biggest beneficiary" and particularly as an "economic powerhouse," Germany has "a duty, to take the lead," alleges the journal's editor in chief in her editorial. "Whoever leads has to show the direction and convince the others of the chosen path,"^[1] writes the editor in view of the Federal Republic of Germany's European hegemonic ambition. The journal is presenting a series of proposals for a "German leadership" role. For the first time, the Berlin establishment is launching a larger public debate on the German hegemonic policy that, so far, has been covered in official silence. "Internationale Politik" has a considerable circulation in professional circles inside and outside Germany and is seeking to attract a larger public. For several years, it is not only available by personal subscription, but can also be bought at newsstands. (Minimum circulation: 6000).

Germany's Global Political Mission

Among the articles advocating Germany's global engagement for free trade and "human rights", one of the feature articles^[2] stands out. It sees "Germany's global political mission" in renewing the transatlantic alliance. The author, Ulrich Speck, alleges that the Federal Republic of Germany had experienced its "best decades" within the framework "of a global liberal order guaranteed by the USA." However, he now sees this order under threat: "China, the global economy's new epicenter" could soon "challenge the rules of the liberal world order and the manner they are enforced." One can also observe a "gradual withdrawal or retreat of American power," Speck reasons, in light of the announced US focus on East Asia. ("American Pacific Century," german-foreign-policy.com reported.^[3]) If the Federal Republic of Germany does not intervene resolutely, two scenarios could be imagined, both quite gloomy.

Chaos and Terror

At worst, according to Speck, "the withdrawal of US hegemonic power" could cause a "political power vacuum." "Wherever the overwhelming US presence is choking off any idea of power competition," "local and regional players" could become active and feud with one another. If no one is "strong enough to prevail and establish durable territorial dominance," that respective region of the world would be faced with "chaos and anarchy," similar to Somalia, today. In that case, the future would be determined by a "return to a culture of violence, long since considered outlived historically and with the development of civilization," — by "terror," "civil war" and the "certain demise of a global economy."^[4]

World War Conceivable

In a second doomsday scenario, Speck outlines a future of several hegemonic powers — a "multipolar order." One should not imagine "a balance power, in which several poles of power maintain order and compete for dominance" as being "in any way peaceful and stable — and certainly not fair." One should rather expect a fierce struggle for "spheres of interests" — as in "Europe preceding World War I." "The outbreak of a major war again becomes conceivable," according to the author; "at least, proxy wars can be expected." Should a "multipolar global order" evolve, a "Darwinist competition of the strongest" would be imminent, in which "the weak would be tossed around by the strong."^[5] In fact, we have long since reached a situation in which the weaker countries have become pawns in the hands of major powers, in this archaic western-dominated world order.

The EU as Lever

To maintain Western hegemony, Speck proposes the "expansion of the Transatlantic Alliance."^[6] However, the "renaïssance of the West" should generate "an alliance of equals." Following a clear US domination, it is time for Germany, based on the EU, to be given more consideration. Berlin should use the EU to add new punch to its "foreign policy strategies." Brussels is the "lever" to enforce Germany's quest for power. "A new concept for the EU-US summit" is conceivable on this basis, the author continues. If the US President and Secretary of State would meet twice a year "with the heads of the EU and its six top leaders (Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Poland) as well as their foreign ministers (...), then all the major players would be sitting at the table." The other 21 EU members would only have a rotating representation of only two states per meeting, according to Speck. He also advocates setting up a "General Secretariat for the coordination of transatlantic foreign policy," which should become the "center of gravity for transatlantic cooperation" and insure western global domination.

Not Uncontested

The appeal for a "renaïssance of the West" is not uncontested in Berlin's establishment. High ranking government advisors, including, for example, the co-editor of "Internationale Politik," are advocating a "multipolar global order," which is rejected by Speck (german-foreign-policy.com reported^[7]). They also conceive of the EU playing a central role, which, according to the latest edition of "Internationale Politik," should be under "German leadership." Only one of this special issue's articles is clearly critical of the current German hegemonic policy toward solving the Euro crisis.

[1] Sylke Tempel: In Führung gehen; Internationale Politik Mai/Juni 2012
[2] Ulrich Speck: Pfeiler der Freiheit. Wie Deutschlands weltpolitische Mission aussehen könnte; Internationale Politik Mai/Juni 2012
[3] see also Das pazifische Jahrhundert and The Transatlantic Future
[4], [5], [6] Ulrich Speck: Pfeiler der Freiheit. Wie Deutschlands weltpolitische Mission aussehen könnte; Internationale Politik Mai/Juni 2012
[7] s. dazu Europas Abstieg (III) and Gestalten statt verhindern

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Tue May 8 01:07:11 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to "take the lead" in Europe and the world, posted by Olog-hai on Tue May 8 00:52:05 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world

Posted by WillD on Tue May 8 02:35:49 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world, posted by SelkirkTMO on Tue May 8 01:07:11 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world

Posted by mr mabstoa on Tue May 8 02:39:32 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world, posted by WillD on Tue May 8 02:35:49 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world

Posted by Olog-hai on Tue May 8 03:25:21 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world, posted by mr mabstoa on Tue May 8 02:39:32 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world

Posted by WillD on Tue May 8 03:37:21 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world, posted by mr mabstoa on Tue May 8 02:39:32 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world

Posted by Fred G on Tue May 8 07:18:24 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to "take the lead" in Europe and the world, posted by Olog-hai on Tue May 8 00:52:05 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world

Posted by SMAZ on Tue May 8 11:00:40 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world, posted by Fred G on Tue May 8 07:18:24 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

(EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets permission from Vatican to cancel four holidays

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu May 10 00:07:29 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

Portugal cancels holidays after Vatican talks

By Sofia Fernandes and Richard Allen Greene, CNN
May 9, 2012 — Updated 1434 GMT (2234 HKT)

Portugal is eliminating four holidays to try to boost its economy, the government announced — but only after getting the agreement of the Vatican.

The economically struggling European country will stop giving workers a day off for Corpus Christi and All Saints' Day, starting next year, the government said.

It will also eliminate two civil holidays to be fair, the statement said Tuesday.

The center-right government thanked the Holy See and the Portuguese Bishops' Conference for their "constructive approach" to the negotiations.

Portugal and the Vatican will re-evaluate the agreement in five years, the government said.

Economy ministry spokesman Hugo Soares declined to say how cutting the holidays would boost the economy.

The opposition Socialists and Communists did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment.

Portugal, a largely Catholic country, is struggling with recession and debt. Along with the economies of Greece, Italy, Ireland and Spain, its economy is a cause for concern across the 17 countries that use the euro as their currency.

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

(EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to ''take the lead'' in Europe and the world (part deux)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu May 10 02:25:50 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) Germany ready to "take the lead" in Europe and the world, posted by Olog-hai on Tue May 8 00:52:05 2012.

---

Under German Leadership (II)

2012/05/03

German government advisors are considering new restrictions for combating the Euro crisis. It may be necessary, even in the field of economic policy, to lift the sovereignty of EU nations and initiate a "growth pact," according to the new edition of "Internationale Politik," a foreign policy magazine. This will become necessary, if the crisis cannot be mastered with the current austerity dictates. This is precisely what German, but particularly foreign, experts have been warning against for years. The German austerity demands risk "ultimately to further exacerbate the debt crisis," writes, for example, one of the critics also in the new edition of "Internationale Politik." His analysis is a damning indictment of German attempts to dominate the EU. Berlin's crisis policy needs to be fundamentally revised, he concludes. However, "Internationale Politik" presents proposals for a change of course, based on and including these austerity dictates, including supplementary rights of EU intervention to subvert the competence of democratically elected governments that would reinforce German hegemony over Europe.

German Culture of Instability

Within the framework of the "Internationale Politik" magazine's "leadership" debate, Hans Kundnani, of the London office of the "European Council on Foreign Relations" sharply criticized Berlin's crisis policy. (german-foreign-policy.com reported.^[1]) Kundnani raises issues that experts — particularly non-German experts — have been criticizing for years. Germany's insistence "on strict austerity programs throughout the eurozone" hampers those countries stuck in the debt crisis from applying growth strategies to fight their recession, because to do so would entail having to provide financing. The austerity dictate could therefore "further exacerbate the debt crisis."^[2] Berlin is, simultaneously, applying "intolerable" pressure to the economies of the crisis countries with its export offensive. The author writes that this is how the German government has been able to reduce unemployment "in Germany, to the lowest rate since unification," while in "countries like Spain it is at record levels." Kundnani writes, "it seems that Germany is not so much engaged in the Euro crisis for the sake of the whole of Europe, but rather more in its own interests." With reference to the catastrophic consequences for the crisis nations, the foreign policy expert speaks in terms of a "German culture of instability."^[3]

No Concessions

Kundnani explicitly points out that, unlike Germany, other hegemonic powers in crisis situations do not solely serve their own short-term interests. "A good example," he says, is "the United States in the aftermath of the Second World War." "In the 1950s," as is known, "West Europeans were granted trade preferences" and this, to the disadvantage of its own economy, but "its strategic goal — European stability" — was achieved.^[4] A hegemon that functions strategically grants "short-term concessions to those it has co-opted into its hegemonic realm, to insure its long-term interests," writes Kundnani and characterizes those concessions made, from time to time, to the other European countries by the former West German governments in Bonn, as characteristic of this sort of hegemonic policy. Therefore, it had been expected that Germany would have made, at least, the concession of a reduction of trade surpluses or "allow a moderately higher inflation" — for the sake of insuring "the survival of the Euro," if for no other reason than Germany's profiting from "the Euro's weakness vis à vis the D-Mark, which benefits the German export economy." But, in fact, Berlin has made no concessions and has "rigidly refused to adopt such a policy."

More Isolated than Ever

Kundnani sums up: "Germany's increase in power and France's relative weakness have permitted Berlin to impose its preferences on the eurozone and on the EU." With the Fiscal Stability Treaty, Germany has imposed a German economic model on its partners." Albeit Berlin guarantees "no stability" to the eurozone countries.^[5] Therefore, with its successful "attempts to establish norms, it has encountered resistance from other eurozone members, it continues to face this resistance, and, in all probability, the resistance will continue." Because of Germany's lack of concessions, "there is a lack of 'hegemonic mutual understanding'." In such an empathetic sense, Germany, according to Kundnani, is "not yet — and will probably never be — a European hegemon." "Even though so powerful, Berlin is nevertheless more isolated than ever within the EU."

Passionate Debates

A few pages after this criticism, "Internationale Politik" published other proposals for mastering the Euro crisis that provide an inadvertent confirmation of Kundnani's assessment. The article was authored by Andreas Rinke, senior political correspondent of the Berlin office of Reuters News Agency. He had won acclaim as a clairvoyant taboo breaker, already early last year. At the time, in an article for the internet edition of "Internationale Politik," he crowned Angela Merkel, "EU Chancellor" and French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, European Vice Chancellor. (german-foreign-policy.com reported.^[6]) In his current article, Rinke, using futuristic scenarios, depicts probable new EU controversies arising from the German austerity dictate's incapacity to solve the crisis. He describes the imaginary situation, where next summer, "a passionate debate arises around the demand that an end must be put to a pure austerity policy."^[7] The Reuters correspondent supposes that "scheduled elections in several EU countries will," also in the future, "again threaten to bring opposition parties to power, that will be against accepting a rigid reform policy, calling rather for larger national economic stimulus programs." Solutions to these problems must be found.

A New German Dictate

Rinke described a proposal — he has superb contacts to the Berlin establishment — aimed at a supplementary abrogation of national sovereignty within the EU, "National governments will be relieved of their authority to decide economic questions and those of social policy," and will be obliged to follow directives set by Brussels. Given the experience of German crisis dictates over the past two years, it would not be difficult to guess who would table such a proposal. Rinke speculates that the extensive disempowerment of democratically-elected parliaments, which, after their financial prerogatives, now are to be deprived also of their prerogatives in economic and social policies, could be accomplished — as with the Fiscal Stability Treaty — with a "Growth Stability Treaty," signed by all EU countries except Great Britain. A variation of "Euro Bonds" could, according to the Reuters correspondent, be a possible concession — "Project Bonds," with which the EU Commission may, at least provisionally, finance important, pre-determined infrastructure projects in weaker EU countries."^[8] For a relatively low cost realization of Berlin's newest directives, through the "Project Bonds," Rinke writes, "the reestablishment of the Euro zone is complete." Apparently Rinke finds it hardly worth mentioning in his scenario that some of the EU countries would, indeed, complain "of a new German dictate," because they probably would have set themselves irreversibly "in route towards an economic liberalization," with the "Growth Stability Treaty."

[1] see also Under German Leadership (I)
[2] see also From the Crisis, Into the Crisis, Berlin's European Recession and Impoverishment Made in Germany
[3], [4], [5] Hans Kundnani: Was für ein Hegemon? Berlins Politik führt zu keinem deutschen, sondern einem chaotischen Europa; Internationale Politik Mai/Juni 2012
[6] see also Europe's Chancellor
[7], [8] Andreas Rinke: Wachstumsbeschleuniger. Wie Deutschlands nächstes Projekt für Europa aussehen könnte; Internationale Politik Mai/Juni 2012

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets permission from Vatican to cancel four holidays

Posted by Fred G on Thu May 10 05:33:24 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets permission from Vatican to cancel four holidays, posted by Olog-hai on Thu May 10 00:07:29 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays

Posted by AlM on Thu May 10 08:18:18 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets permission from Vatican to cancel four holidays, posted by Olog-hai on Thu May 10 00:07:29 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays

Posted by Dave on Thu May 10 08:51:02 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays, posted by AlM on Thu May 10 08:18:18 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays

Posted by AlM on Thu May 10 08:54:48 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays, posted by Dave on Thu May 10 08:51:02 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays

Posted by SMAZ on Thu May 10 12:19:14 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays, posted by AlM on Thu May 10 08:54:48 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu May 10 12:36:46 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays, posted by Dave on Thu May 10 08:51:02 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays

Posted by AlM on Thu May 10 12:49:14 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays, posted by SMAZ on Thu May 10 12:19:14 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu May 10 19:30:13 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Portugal gets agreement from Vatican to cancel two holidays, posted by SMAZ on Thu May 10 12:19:14 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

(EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat May 12 17:40:01 2012, in response to EUEUEUEUEU Olog, posted by RockParkMan on Sat Nov 12 14:58:17 2011.

---

05/11/2012
Insurance for All

Germans Can't Fathom US Aversion to Obama's Healthcare Reform

By Miriam Widman

In Germany, people are baffled by how hostile a country as religious as the United States can be to the principle of mandatory healthcare insurance. Not even conservatives question the system, which businesspeople say gives Europe's largest economy a competitive advantage.

As the United States Supreme Court considers whether requiring people to have health insurance is unconstitutional, Germans are bewildered as to why so many Americans appear to be against universal coverage.

They also question the continued portrayal of US President Barack Obama and his health reform backers as socialists and communists, noting that healthcare was introduced in Germany in the 19^th century by Otto von Bismarck, who was definitely not a leftist, and is supported by conservative and pro-business politicians today.

"It's a solidarity principle," says Ann Marini, a spokesperson for the National Health Insurers Association. "Not every 'S' automatically means socialism."

Marini and others say that mandated coverage is something that is simply not questioned in Germany. Furthermore, even the most pro-market politicians wouldn't dare to dismantle the country's health insurance system.

System Only Works if Everyone Takes Part

The requirement that everyone buy health insurance is based on a simple concept, healthcare experts agree. Allowing healthy people to opt out of having health insurance destroys the insurance community and leaves insurers covering only the sick.

American health insurance companies are well aware of that. America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in January saying the required coverage mandate cannot be divorced from Obama's healthcare reforms. In a convoluted press release it wrote:

"A wide range of experts has consistently agreed that enacting guarantee issue and community rating has severe unintended consequences unless they are paired with a strong commitment to achieve universal coverage through an effective and enforced personal coverage requirement."

In plain English, this means that if only sick people sign up for insurance it is impossible to insure people regardless of pre-conditions, or to limit insurance companies' ability to set prices based on an individual's history and risk. Everyone has to take part — sick and healthy people — for the system to work.

Competitive Advantage

This is understood in Germany, even by some American businesspeople who know their corporate health insurance costs could be much lower in the US, where no coverage is required.

"As an employer I would never question hiring somebody and not insuring them," says Seattle native-turned Berlin café owner Cynthia Barcomi. She opened Barcomi's, a café in the trendy Kreuzberg neighborhood, in 1994.

Three years later Barcomi's Deli opened in the central Mitte district. Between the two ventures she now has around 40 employees. Under German law, she pays roughly half her employees' healthcare premiums as part of their labor contracts. The actual sum is based on what a worker earns. Even though it costs her a lot, she's a staunch believer in the system.

"The national healthcare system is an incredibly important thing for everybody, for the entire society and for the health of the society," she says. "You just cannot have people falling through the grid because they don't have healthcare, because they are not healthy. The basis for everything is people's health, not just your own health but the health of your neighbor."

The American entrepreneur said she'd offer health insurance to her employees even if she weren't required to by law, as she is in Germany, because people are more productive if they think their employer cares about and believes in them.

"It's part of a working relationship; It's a tit for tat," she says during an interview at her Kreuzberg café. "If I want people to work well for me and if I want them to be satisfied with me as an employer, I have to offer them something that's more than just the minimum wage."

This attitude toward healthcare — which seems so foreign in the US — gives Germany a competitive advantage, Barcomi and other businesspeople say. A healthy workforce is a more productive workforce and recent German statistics would back that up. The country has relatively low unemployment and in many sectors the economy is booming.

But in the US, which spends more than any other developed nation on healthcare, an increasing number of businesses are "less competetive globally because of ballooning healthcare costs," according to an article published by the Council on Foreign Relations in March. Indeed, despite the ample spending on healthcare, the system remains inefficient, and the US ranks with Turkey and Mexico as the only members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) without universal heath coverage, it adds.

Don't Religious Americans Love Their Neighbors?

But there are other reasons why Germans are confused about the US healthcare debate. The US comes across to not only Germans, but to many Europeans, as a religious country. God seems to be part of many US debates, especially ones surrounding the presidential campaign. In secular European politics, the Almighty is rarely if ever invoked.

"For me the US is a very religious country. It doesn't matter which religion I look at — love thy neighbor is a very, very important point in religion," health insurance spokesperson Marini says. For her, the apparent deep religiousness of many Americans doesn't jibe with their unwillingness to be part of a healthcare community.

Politician Wolfgang Zöller, a member of Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union party, argues that Christian principles support a national healthcare system and both are compatible with capitalism.

He wonders how a working class man with a family who doesn't have insurance pays for an operation when he becomes sick.

"The question of health insurance is a humane question," he says. "I want every person — independent of age, independent of income or pre-existing conditions — to have the possibility to be helped when he is sick."

But that is not happening in the United States, according to numerous statistics.

The US ranks last out of 16 industrialized countries on a measure of deaths that might have been prevented with timely and effective care, according to a study released last year by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that supports independent healthcare research. Germany was in ninth place, according to the "National Scorecard on US Health Performance."

Premature death rates are 68 percent higher in the US than in the best-performing countries. As many as 91,000 fewer people would die prematurely if the US could achieve the leading country rate, the report said. Instead, the study notes that "access to healthcare significantly eroded since 2006," with more than 81 million working-age adults — some 44 percent of those aged 19 to 64 — uninsured or underinsured in 2010. This was an increase of 35 percent from 2003 levels.

Other advanced countries are managing to outpace the US in providing "timely access to primary care, reducing premature mortality, and extending healthy life expectancy, all while spending considerably less on healthcare and administration," the study goes on.

And that's exactly what Zöller says he's talking about. When people become sick they should be helped regardless of their financial or social situation, he says.

"Otherwise you're left with the famous saying, 'the poor die young.' And I don't want that."

---

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (Rest of world) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare

Posted by JohnL on Sat May 12 18:04:24 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare, posted by Olog-hai on Sat May 12 17:40:01 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare

Posted by rockparkman on Sat May 12 18:29:57 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare, posted by Olog-hai on Sat May 12 17:40:01 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Sat May 12 18:50:28 2012, in response to (EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare, posted by Olog-hai on Sat May 12 17:40:01 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat May 12 19:12:56 2012, in response to Re: (Rest of world) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare, posted by JohnL on Sat May 12 18:04:24 2012.

Post a New Response

view threaded

Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Sat May 12 19:21:31 2012, in response to Re: (EUEUEUEUEU) Germans can't understand debate against Obamacare/centralized federal healthcare, posted by Olog-hai on Sat May 12 19:12:56 2012.

Post a New Response

First : << [11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20] >> : Last

< Previous Page  

Page 11 of 25

Next Page >