Hollande saves the day
MADRID | By J.P. Marín Arrese | Figures for the second quarter announced by the European Commission must have exerted a soothing effect on badly mauled Hollande. Growth is back in France, even if it only amounts to 0.5%.
In Europe
Germany’s Role in Europe: A Sleeping Beauty
HAMBURG | Via Presseurop |The Merkel government demands southern countries make far-reaching reforms, but denies responsibility for the consequences of the crisis. It is a harmful attitude for Europe as Germany prepares for its legislative elections, warns philosopher Jürgen Habermas. As he puts it, “Germany is not dancing on the volcano; it is asleep on it.”
Is that a euro comeback I see before me?
MADRID | By Luis Arroyo | Those who have already celebrated the euro comeback might be deluding themselves: investor confidence has changed gear because European peripheral risk at this point looks safer than some emerging economies’.
Thursday’s charts: Not quite, Prime Minister
LONDON | By Victor Jimenez | The recent push for apprenticeships the Prime Minister favours could be costlier in the long run against the meagre savings in higher education spending achieved in the short term.
More Spanish phones connected to Internet than EU average
MADRID/BRUSSELS | Most European users of Internet-connected mobile phones–81%–aren’t willing to pay higher bills even if this brought improvements in speed or download capacity
Recovery is within reach of Eurozone
BRUSSELS | By commissioner Olli Rehn | ‘Yes, this slightly more positive data is welcome – but there is no room for any complacency whatsoever. I hope there will be no premature, self-congratulatory statements suggesting “the crisis is over”.’
How many MEPs will each country get after EU Parliament elections in 2014?
STRASBOURG | By EP Press Department | The European Parliament currently boasts 754 MEPs but this will be increased to 766 once Croatia joins in July. After next year’s elections, this number will have be reduced to 751.
Cameron orders firing blanks in Gibraltar
MADRID | By Luis Arroyo | The Spanish government is simply enforcing the law–a law that the British government has signed. Madrid, unlike London, still has the option of increasing its pressure without pointless nationalistic antics like Royal warships.
The trouble with Greece: poor integration with European market
LONDON | By Richard Laming | Fixing the problems of the Greek economy is not simply a matter of attending to the public finances and is a task that will take many years. But is not in the nature of the international bond markets to give sovereign debtors that long.
Off you go, IMF
PARIS | Calling on the expertise of the IMF helped save the euro at the height of the crisis. However, the personal involvement of the head of the ECB and the creation of specific financial tools have now made recourse to the Washington-based institution unnecessary, says economist Stéphane Cossé.