Europe’s immigration (un)policy October 4, 2006
Posted by jitorreblanca in EU, Europe, Spain, jtorreblanca.add a comment
The European Union is out there to help member states. True. But what the European Union cannot do is to replace member states where they fail to agree or, worse, fail to act. The question of immigration is a good example of it. As the issue becomes preoccupation number one in a growing number of member states, everybody is asking Europe “to do something” about it. But the tendency to upload national problems to the EU without giving it at the same time the legal, personnel, and budgetary instruments to deal with those problems is exhausting the EU’s capacity to act and is opening the room for a growing public frustration across member states.
Could Italy be forced out of the eurozone? October 4, 2006
Posted by johnwyles in John Wyles, Uncategorized.add a comment
The state of the Italian economy clearly leaves a lot to be desired and the extent to which the left-wing parties in Romano Prodi’s coalition have vetoed substantial public spending cuts in the draft 2007 budget does nothing to inspire confidence that urgent remedies are on the way. Nonetheless, the constant drumbeat from mainly British commentators anticipating
Italy’s withdrawal from the eurozone testifies more to wishful thinking than political and economic common sense.
