MADRID | June 9, 2015 | By JP Marín Arrese | From the very moment Ms Merkel vowed to put an end to the Greek crisis, she filled the Hellenic sails with hopes of snatching extra concessions. Athens seems well aware that the German Chancellor is under heavy pressure to secure a deal before the G-7 meeting, and that it will profit from this unexpected manna. It will play these winning cards until they become obsolete.
The Corner | March 23, 2015 | Mario Draghi’s speech will be in focus as traders seek further information on the effect the ECB’s QE programme is having. This week is likely to see strong growth figures posted in the US, while inflation in the eurozone will continue to languish. Greece will again be under the microscope on international markets, as direct talks between leader Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel finally get under way.
The Corner | March 20, 2015 | There may be some volatility on European markets in the day ahead, as late night talks between the Greeek government and members of creditor nations, the European Commission and the European Central Bank failed to unlock funds for Athens’ faltering economy.
FRANKFURT| March 19, 2015 | By Lidia Conde | The German economy is posting impressive growth figures, but does the country’s success act as a help or hindrance to it’s European partners?
MADRID |The Corner | After a meeting between Mariano Rajoy and Angela Merkel in Santiago de Compostela, the German chancellor gave her support to the candidature of the Spanish Economy Minister, Luis de Guindos, to succeed Jeroen Dijsselbloem as President of the Eurogroup. As Barclays analysts comment, “with Italy’s and France’s leftwing governments and UK in or out of the EU, Spain is now a more attractive partner.” Regarding Germany, Angela Merkel recognised that the crisis in Ukraine is damaging the German economy. Nevertheless, Merkel affirmed that she forecasts a good annual growth if nothing dramatic happens.
FRANKFURT | By Lidia Conde | Is austerity at all costs killing us? Germany answers with a resounding “no.” Even though the North-South axis in the European policy is more present than ever, for Berlin “austerity does not punish.” On the contrary: it even purifies. Furthermore, the Stability Pact offers enough flexibility so as to boost growth. There is no room for revision or debate.
MADRID | By Ana Fuentes | Despite British PM David Cameron’s intense campaign against him, Jean-Claude Juncker was chosen as European Commission new president on Friday with 26 out of 28 heads of states’ votes. Candidate of the centre right European People’s party, the largest group in the parliament, and a veteran EU deal-broker, Luxembourg’s former PM vows for increasing the power of Brussels and reducing the voice of nation states. He’ll be officially appointed on July 16 with the strong opposition of the EU’s financial centre.
The Corner Analysis | In the grim day in which the French National Front victory broke the expectations of a more united and strong Europe, Spaniards broke the bipartisan establishment for the first time in 35 years. Podemos, born from the Indignados (outraged) movement, was the biggest surprise in the political arena. Voters weary of austerity measures and corruption also punished the political establishment in Greece. Eurosceptics and xenophobe movements dangerously gained strenght in Denmark, Austria, Finland and the UK.
BERLIN | By Alberto Lozano | The German ambitious switch from nuclear and carbon-based energy toward renewables remains the biggest challenge for the first EU economy. The country’s industrial sector and consumers are worried about how much they will have to pay in terms of prices, competitiveness and jobs.
BARCELONA | By Vinçent Navarro | Germany is not only about minijobs. Although Southern European economies are debating about this measure that Berlin took under Schröder’s government in order to tackle unemployment, much less is said about the German model or ‘Rhineland capitalism’, essentially based on works councils and co-management.