Germany’s Pirate Party riding high
from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
Germany’s Pirate Party sets sail for a role in national politics
Fear grows of Greek euro exit
from FT.com – World, Europe
ECB council members? comments indicate risk of eurozone fragmentation is being taken increasingly seriously
More Eurostar security oddities
from Jon Worth by Jon
On Tuesday this week I was on Eurostar 9161, the 1952 departure from Bruxelles Midi to London St Pancras, with stops in Lille Europe, Calais Fréthun and Ebbsfleet. Shortly after departure from Lille the train manager made an announcement, telling us that a control of tickets and identity papers would be made between Lille and Calais.
Greece is falling out of Europe
from FT.com – World, Europe
Athens can say no to Brussels, Berlin and the IMF. It can unshackle itself from the euro. But it cannot avoid a reckoning, writes Philip Stephens
Leftist leader challenges Le Pen
from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
French left-winger Jean-Luc Melenchon says he will run for the same seat as far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the forthcoming parliamentary election.
Europe: Economic Crisis Fuels Rise in Anti-Immigration Politics
from Global Voices Online by Ariane Defreine
The French presidential election may be over, but the fact that outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy choseimmigration as a core theme of his campaign [fr] is still the subject of much debate on the Web. Many netizens have wondered whether his choice to flirt with the far-right wing of his electorate helped temper his defeat or whether, on the contrary, it was one of the reasons his electorate deserted him [fr].
EU Referenda games: staying in, leaving or renegotiation – it’s all complicated
from Open Europe blog
MAIN FOCUS: Hope for new government in Greece | 11/05/2012
from euro|topics
The Democratic Left party in Greece has signalled its willingness to enter a coalition with Pasok and Nea Dimokratia during preliminary discussions. The parties all agree that the country should remain in the Eurozone. While some commentators welcome the consensus, others see a Greek exit as the better solution.
French elections: what does normal stand for?, Nilufer Gole
from open Democracy News Analysis – by Nilufer Gole
The vote for Hollande is not so much a radical desire for change as a possibly illusory desire to go back to the pre-crisis period. The socialists have meanwhile opened up a new approach to the economy. But ‘racism from above’ has led the way in this historic fight over what is normal
Socialists & Democrats: ‘We must help Greece stay in the Eurozone’
from Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament
Socialists and Democrats consider the latest debates on Greece leaving the eurozone as “irresponsible” and call for a rational approach to the country’s future. Commenting on the latest discussions, S&D Group President Hannes Swoboda said: “It is crucial to refrain from threats and to stop the irresponsible debates about pushing Greece out of the eurozone
Greece: Police Violence Against Immigrants on the Rise
from Global Voices Online by Asteris Masouras
Greek social media has been in uproar over a video posted on Facebook and Twitter, showing police officers overtly abusing a detained immigrant in downtown Athens. The incident occured at the end of January 2012, whilst the exact location has not been confirmed.
Spain: #NoMoreEuros for Bankia
from Global Voices Online by Greg Ahlswede
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
The Internet in Spain was seething since it was reported [es] this Monday that the government is preparing a plan to inject public money into Bankia, the fourth largest bank in the country and the most exposed to the real estate market. Since the crisis started in 2008, the government has supported Bankia with 33 billion euros [es]. The current bail-out plan could be as much as 10 billion.
German inflation backlash alert (it took about 12 hours)
by Open Europe blog team
Well, it didn’t take long. You may have thought that yesterday’s comments from people allegedly close to Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann to the effect that Germany could live with the shocking inflation rate of 2-3% were in any way a sign that Germany was about to cave in on its resistance to anything that resembles high inflation. Well the front page of Bild Zeitung – the gold standard of European tabloids (pun intended) – says it all
Spanish banks…Mañana, Mañana…?
by Open Europe blog team
The Spanish government held a press conference this afternoon finally laying out its plans for dealing with its significantly troubled banking sector. As usual Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dodged the limelight and left the unenviable task of presenting the proposals to his Deputy, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, and Finance Minister Luis de Guindos ? despite this being par for the course with the new government we still can?t help but feel that it fails to inspire confidence.
Seven days that shook Europe
from FT.com – Analysis
Eurozone: A week of dramatic political and financial shifts has raised fears of a revived crisis threatening the global economy. By FT Reporters
Europe?s painful democratic renewal
from FT.com – World, Europe
This week?s elections in France, Greece and Italy are a reminder that politics will ultimately decide the fate of the monetary union
The European Union mid-term priorities at the United Nations
from Ideas on Europe by Ronny Patz
The EU Council just published ?The European Union mid-term priorities at the United Nations? for ?public diplomacy use?. I suppose that this means that there is a second document ?for secret diplomacy use?. And indeed, reading through the ?priorities? looks like a long shopping list of diplomatic blabla ? whether it?s worth anything is hard to assess.
Some thoughts on institutional capacity in South-Eastern Europe
from A Fistful Of Euros » A Fistful Of Euros by Alex Harrowell
Now everyone?s seen the title and stopped reading?Nouriel Roubini has a simple plan for Greece:
Grezxit path: election, default, exit, capital controls, deposit freeze, drachmatization of euro claims, depreciation, return to growth/jobs
Bada bing, bada boom, and it?s peace and jobs and freedom all the way up. Dr Doom makes it all sound so simple, stuffed into 140 characters. Now, I?m sympathetic to the Greeks here, and I think that, for example, the idea of imposing nominal wages cuts across the private sector is not just counterproductive but getting on for gratuitiously cruel. But I think we could do without 140 character eurozone exit plans.
It?s Time to Stop Using Chewing Gum And Chicken Wire In Spain
from A Fistful Of Euros » A Fistful Of Euros by Edward Hugh
?Every leg of the eurozone crisis has been marked by denial of the full scale of the problems. Whether Spain?s authorities have been deceitful or wilfully blind makes little difference at this point. The banks will need more capital; the government will need external help, with all the market uncertainty and strings attached that this implies. And the pain in Spain will only get worse?.
The top Line, Financial Times
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