Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Friday, November 23, 2012

Budget talks end with no agreement - Greece talks continue

As expected, EU budget talks broke down after two days with no agreement.  David Cameron went into the negotiations with demands for cuts, rather than the 5% increase being pushed by the Commission:
http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2012/11/22/britain-targets-commission/?mod=djemRTBrusselsBlog_h

More from the Wall lStreet Journal on the collapse of the talks:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324352004578137051647298838.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

More on the budget impasse from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/11/23/business/23reuters-eu-budget.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&seid=auto&_r=0

and CNN's report looks into the components of the budget - with video: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/23/business/eu-budget-summit/index.html

Greece's Finance Minister Stournaras talks with IMF Managing Director Lagarde at a Eurogroup meeting in Brussels (Reuters)
EU finance minsters were unable to conclude talks on Greek debt reduction and they will continue on Monday.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/21/news/economy/eu-imf-greece-bailout/index.html

If you are really interested in the details on Greece's precarious situation, the Wall Street Journal has prepared a cheat sheet explaining the current issues on the table:
http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2012/11/20/your-cheat-sheet-to-greece/?mod=djemRTBrusselsBlog_h

France's credit rating was downgraded by Moody's late Monday, and French officials tried to downplay the action:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/business/global/newcomer-to-ratings-game-gives-france-a-dim-view.html

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Veterans Day in the US - Armistice Day in Europe

Across Europe people fell silent at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month to commemorate the end of World War I and to remember the dead from all wars, including Afghanistan - but the day holds even more significance as the Economist points out:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/charlemagne/2010/11/armistice_day_europe

The day is known as Remembrance Day in the UK:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/11/remembrance-sunday-services-uk

The poppy is the symbol, taken from the poem "In Flanders Fields..."
Remembrance Day Commemoration Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra

Meanwhile, issues around the Euro Crisis continue, with the possibility of a British exit from the EU on the agenda:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/12/business/global/12iht-dixon12.html?_r=0

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Some video from the FT on the Merkel-Cameron meeting




Meanwhile, EU workers striked to protest potential EU budget cuts: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/08/eu-workers-strike-over-possible-budget-cuts-others-wonder-why-topic-has-not/

Back to the Euro Crisis

Greece's Parliament has approved a new austerity budget while unemployment continues to rise and Greece's economy contracts: http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/11/euro-crisis
Another perspective from the Telegraph: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ambroseevans-pritchard/100021180/who-will-stop-the-sado-monetarists-as-jobless-youth-hits-58pc-in-greece/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Meanwhile the EU and IMF apear to be at odds over Greek debt: http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_08/11/2012_469142

David Cameron and Angela Merkel met this week amid concerns that British conservatives want to consider leaving the EU:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/at-london-dinner-germanys-merkel-lobbies-a-reluctant-britain-to-back-closer-eu-integration/2012/11/07/b1e65d34-2923-11e2-aaa5-ac786110c486_story.html

Another commentator feels that there are deeper tensions that need to be dealt with: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/9658443/Germany-is-losing-patience-with-Britain.html

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, left, goes to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, as they pose for the media before their meeting at 10 Downing Street, in London, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012. The Prime Minister said at a recent EU summit in Brussels that he would veto any proposal for the next seven-year budget framework that went above a freeze on the current position, this, in turn, allegedly left the German Chancellor prepared to scupper a summit of European leaders due on 22-23 November on the EU budget unless David Cameron withdraws the threat of a blanket veto. Photo: Bogdan Maran / AP
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, left, goes to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, as they pose for the media before their meeting at 10 Downing Street, in London, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012. The Prime Minister said at a recent EU summit in Brussels that he would veto any proposal for the next seven-year budget framework that went above a freeze on the current position, this, in turn, allegedly left the German Chancellor prepared to scupper a summit of European leaders due on 22-23 November on the EU budget unless David Cameron withdraws the threat of a blanket veto. Photo: Bogdan Maran / AP


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/At-London-dinner-Merkel-urges-UK-support-for-EU-4017070.php#ixzz2Berh8rfA

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

More European reactions to Obama victory

David Cameron is pleased with the outcome, uses the result for Republicans to warn Tory hardliners:
video: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9660779/David-Cameron-congratulates-Barack-Obama-on-election-victory.html
From the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/nov/07/david-cameron-romney-failure-warning

More from the Telegraph on lessons learned by Cameron: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/benedictbrogan/100188343/the-power-of-incumbency-and-social-liberalism-what-david-cameron-has-learned-from-barack-obama/

EU officials go to twitter and video to congratulate President Obama: http://www.euractiv.com/global-europe/twitter-explodes-eu-wishes-obama-news-515903

The Wall Street Journal's take on the European response: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323894704578104543325069724.html

http://live.wsj.com/video/europe-welcomes-obama-second-term/6EBA9CE1-BAC4-4995-A798-CEE3AAEB8046.html

European reaction to the U.S. election

...but we start with the U.S. Mission to the EU:



The world reacts to Obama's victory (video) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/nov/07/obama-election-victory-world-reaction-video

 The Telegraph's take (video): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9660717/US-election-2012-the-US-political-playing-field-tilts-against-Republicans.html

Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html

Der Spiegel:  http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/europe-sends-congratulations-as-obama-is-reelected-a-865749.html

and Der Spiegel's take on Transatlantic issues: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/what-obama-victory-means-for-trans-atlantic-relations-a-865695.html

The Economist: http://www.economist.com/blogs/lexington/2012/11/2012-presidential-election-1

Le Monde: http://www.lemonde.fr/

German Handelsblatt:  http://www.handelsblatt.com/







Thursday, November 1, 2012

Future for Greece still uncertain, Cameron in trouble

This article from the WSJ describes the Greek situation as still very tenuous:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204846304578093072277336556.html

with increasing debt weighing down any possible recovery, and unemployment reaching new highs above 25%
image

Meanwhile in Britain, things are not looking good for David Cameron as his deputy Prime Minister and coalition partner Nick Clegg criticizes his policy on Europe and the EU budget:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204712904578092794267606864.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
image

Wrangling over the EU budget continues:
http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2012/10/30/eu-budget-contortions-get-serious/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=brussels
and Angela Merkel weighs in:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/01/uk-europe-budget-merkel-idUKBRE8A017Q20121101