Angela Merkel
Angela we have heard on high
As Italy and Greece implode, and the pressure increases for Germany to do something, anything, Angela Merkel has made a call for ‘structural changes’ in the EU. In other words,… Continue reading
23 CommentsCameron leaves Cannes with an IMF headache
The Cannes summit leaves the world no further forward on its quest for some kind of solution to the Eurozone crisis. Strikingly, the Germans still won’t agree — despite huge… Continue reading
35 CommentsReuters: Papandreou to resign on Friday
Reuters is reporting tonight that the Greek Prime Minister has agreed to resign on Friday. The news agency says that at a meeting Cabinet colleagues told George Papandreou that he… Continue reading
29 CommentsMerkel and Sarkozy try to hold the euro together
Right about now, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel are having George Papandreou for dinner. There have been all sorts of rumours today about what Sarkozy and Merkel will demand from… Continue reading
17 CommentsSummit for nothing?
The punchline to yesterday’s eurosummit comes in the very first paragraph of the official statement, released in the darkness of morning: "The euro continues to rest on solid fundamentals." Now… Continue reading
28 CommentsThe Euro masquerade
So much rot has been said about the Eurozone crisis that you do wonder whether Merkel, Sarkozy et al have come to believe their own spiel. This is an economic… Continue reading
65 CommentsClegg: Let’s stick together
All eyes are on Berlin, where Angela Merkel is trying to convince her supporters in the Bundestag to vote through the expansion of the EFSF. She is expected to succeed,… Continue reading
10 CommentsItaly in the firing line
Markets sank into negative territory this morning, following Standand&Poor’s downgrade of Italy’s credit rating. (Although they have since recovered.) The agency cut Italy’s rating from A+/A-1+ to A/A-1; it also… Continue reading
5 CommentsThe deep Euro-crisis threatens political stability
It is hard to overstate how serious the crisis in the eurozone is or what it might do to the politics of Europe. The European project is putting in danger… Continue reading
23 CommentsMerkel & Sarkozy have only words
It was something of a mystery. Emergency conference calls about the future of the Eurozone were being made yesterday, but there was no news of those discussions. As it turned… Continue reading
25 CommentsThe Euro-crisis heats up
Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and George Papandreou are in crisis talks about Greek debt. There are rumours that they are preparing an "orderly default" for Greece. But, officially, Merkel is… Continue reading
20 CommentsMerkel’s hard game
As James noted earlier, Angela Merkel’s response to the Eurozone crisis is hampered by the awkward arithmetic in the Bundestag. Merkel has been faced with these difficulties throughout the crisis.… Continue reading
19 CommentsMerkel’s domestic difficulties threaten the Eurozone
As August draws to a close, Europe is bracing itself for a series of September sovereign debt crises. Events in Germany at the moment have the potential to make these… Continue reading
13 CommentsFurther tension in the Eurozone
The Eurozone’s political crisis is deepening. Further to the news that individual member states were seeking their own bilateral deals with Greece to insure their taxpayers’ money from default, the… Continue reading
20 CommentsStumbling towards fiscal union
Angela Merkel must tire of repeating herself. Eurobonds are “exactly the wrong answer” to the European debt crisis, she said yesterday for the umpteenth time. She added that they would… Continue reading
26 CommentsTobin’s folly
The Eurozone Tobin tax announced on Tuesday by Merkel and Sarkozy is intended to reduce market volatility. It could have the opposite effect, and, if introduced in Britain, could cripple… Continue reading
31 CommentsThis isn’t just any solution; this is an M&S solution
Banks and financial institutions endured a painful day’s trading, following Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy’s announcement yesterday that the Eurozone should adopt a ‘Tobin tax’, a charge on financial transactions.… Continue reading
18 CommentsBattle of the century
The American historian Walter Russell-Mead has a cynical — but very possibly accurate — take on what the French are trying to persuade the Germans to accept with their plan… Continue reading
55 CommentsBack to the drawing board as Eurobonds look dead in the water
Watch her lips: no Eurobonds. Angela Merkel’s Finance, Minister Wolfgang Schauble has told Der Spiegel: "I rule out Eurobonds for as long as member states conduct their own financial policies… Continue reading
20 CommentsIs Merkel getting her way?
Below, courtesy of the Telegraph, is a leaked copy of the draft proposals on managing the Greek debt crisis.There are no measures to reduce Greece’s debts to sustainable levels; subsidy is the preferred… Continue reading
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