June 14, 2012
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on A rare non-hyperbolic take on the likelihood of a Grexit
Good stuff from European economics think tank Bruegel: “Commentators, especially from North America, take it for granted that Greece will exit the euro area and will be followed by others… But is a Greek exit really inevitable? “…If we look … Continue reading
June 9, 2012
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Good pessimistic (realistic?) piece from Der Spiegel:
“The next stage in the crisis will be blatant blackmail. With their refusal to accept money from the bailout fund to recapitalize their banks, the Spanish are not far from causing the entire system to explode. They clearly figure that the Germans will lose their nerve and agree to rehabilitate their banks for them without demanding any guarantee in return that things will take a lasting turn for the better.
“The next test of the resolution of Europe’s donor nations will come from the Greeks… after the election on June 17, the Greeks will bargain with the other EU countries to see what it’s worth to them to see Greece abandon the euro. The Greeks no longer have much to lose; but their EU neighbors — and particularly the Germans — still do. This discrepancy will determine the price to be paid.
“Germans have always expected that being part of a united Europe meant that national interests would recede into the background until they eventually lost all significance. One recognizes in this hope the legacy of political romanticism.”
May 30, 2012
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Interesting piece by an American investment and free trade advocate giving a handy bit of background to Greece’s money woes – just in case you weren’t pessimisitc enough already. Has some convincing, interesting points – worth reading in full: “Modern … Continue reading
May 28, 2012
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
The New Yorker highlights the primary point that advocates of the “being able to devalue their currency would have saved Greece” / “they should just return to the drachma” / “let’s abolish the eurozone” crowd have yet – that I’ve … Continue reading
May 6, 2010
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
It’s a dark time for the EU and eurozone – but does this current cloud have a silver lining? Continue reading
August 22, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Ah… The 2007 accession states of Bulgaria and Romania… What to make of them? At the time I was both optimistic and pessimistic all at once. A year and a half on…? After Bulgaria being told off last month (for, … Continue reading
July 23, 2008
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
It’s a question I’ve asked before, not least when the backwards Balkan oddity first joined. And now, finally, the EU powers that be seem to have noticed that, erm… letting in a notoriously corrupt, organised crime-ridden country with a dodgy … Continue reading
July 22, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
War criminal arrested: cue all sorts of guff from people who should know better about how this proves the Serbian government’s “pro-Western credentials” and demonstrates “Serbia’s European aspirations”. It does nothing of the sort. All this really means is that … Continue reading
February 20, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
“Oh noes!” Say the eurosceptics. “Teh Lisbon tweety dat am weely teh constitootion am gonna make teh EU a state and stuff! Got foreign minister! Oh noes! Dat mean common foreign policy! Our sovereignty gone bye-byes! Waaah!” I really can’t … Continue reading
February 19, 2008
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on And so it begins…
After the little-reported grenade attack on a UN court on Sunday afternoon, it seems that Kosovo’s Serbs aren’t going to accept independence without a fight. Reuters: U.N. police pulled out from a Kosovo border post that was destroyed on Tuesday … Continue reading
February 18, 2008
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
Spotted in a decent French article on Kosovo’s independence, a throwaway line that made me ponder: L’indépendance du Kosovo se fera sous supervision internationale. Malgré ces divisions, l’Union européenne a décidé, sans l’aval de l’ONU, de déployer au Kosovo une … Continue reading
February 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
As you may have noticed, I’ve been pondering the EU’s proposed mission to Kosovo quite a lot over the last day or two, and getting increasingly concerned that the province’s impending independence hasn’t been quite thought through. Overnight, a rather … Continue reading
February 13, 2008
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
Kosovo’s imminent independence could give the EU its biggest challenge yet. Continue reading
January 22, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Rather than wait until after the elections, Serbia’s already signed that gas pipeline deal with Russia, effectively scuppering the EU-backed alternative. Now we’re going to end up with a president of Russia, Medvedev, who’ll not only be the former head … Continue reading