BNE Blog

Bin Laden’s death and the Arab Spring should make opponents of Turkey’s EU membership think again

By admin

By Phillip Souta

The death of Osama bin Laden is a moment that throws all the world’s problems with violent extremism and the Arab world into a new light.

If the last ten years have been defined by conflict, and a thankfully now waning narrative of a clash of civilisations between Islam and the West, the next ten years could provide an opportunity to reshape the Middle East and isolate militant Islam with a rise of democracy and civil society across the region. Read full article »

May 3rd, 2011 | Posted in External Relations | No Comments »

Bailouts, austerity and democratic legitimacy – it’s not pretty, but politics is working in Europe

By Phillip Souta

By Phillip Souta

Portuguese prime minister, Jose Socrates. Who would want this man's job? Photograph: Wikipedia Commons

Jose Socrates, the prime minister of embattled Portugal, tendered his resignation on 23 March after failing in a last ditch attempt to get a raft of austerity measures through parliament.  New elections are to be held on 5 June.  In the mean time, Portugal has applied to the EU for a bailout as spreads on Portuguese debt shot through the roof following the opposition’s rejection of the austerity package.

A lot has been made of the fact that he apparently lacks the democratic legitimacy to do this.  Bruno Waterfield, the Telegraph’s Brussels Correspondent makes this argument in a recent blog, last post for Portuguese democracy.  He argues that the bailout “will be stitched up, copper bottomed and binding before the Portuguese people have the chance to vote on June 5.”  But does Socrates really lack legitimacy?  And will the opposition really be stitched up? Read full article »

April 10th, 2011 | Posted in European Politics | 1 Comment »

The EU is practising the art of the possible in Libya

By Phillip Souta

Photograph: French Rafale fighter jets (Creative Commons)

By Phillip Souta

As European foreign ministers gather in London today for a summit on Libya chaired by William Hague, the British foreign secretary, a great deal of criticism continues to be directed Cathy Ashton’s way.  Ashton, the EU’s embattled high representative has been accused of being le grand absent throughout the crisis.

George Walden (a Tory MP and former diplomat) writes today’s Times that, “if Gaddafi is trembling in his tent, it is little thanks to the EU”.  The Times leader says that this is “a moment that demands unity in European foreign policy” Read full article »

March 29th, 2011 | Posted in Foreign Policy | 2 Comments »

The EU is fighting hard for the survival of the euro – but it must do better, and the UK can help

By Phillip Souta

By Phillip Souta

Euro Binoculars - European Commission

2011 is going to be a hard year.  For the EU, 2010 was a triumph of doing the bare minimum, spending an awful lot of time and energy trying to work out what it was, and hoping the markets would swallow it.  If the aim was to prevent the eurozone from collapsing, it just about got away with it – but it’s a dangerous strategy that needs to change. Read full article »

January 4th, 2011 | Posted in European Politics | No Comments »

Germany admits it needs to boost domestic demand

By Phillip Souta

Phillip Souta

“Most of my British friends drive German cars. Stop buying them, I tell them – you’re contributing to economic imbalances in the eurozone!” Dr. Markus Kerber, the Director General of Fiscal Policy and Macroeconomic Affairs at the German Ministry of Finance opened a speech at a BNE / German Embassy roundtable, on 29 June, on the vices and virtues of the German economy with a jab at the critics of Germany’s export-led economic model.

He went on, however, to give what was perhaps the most unlikely speech one could imagine from a German government official.  And that from the man occupying the post which is said to always embody whatever-is-current German thinking on all things macroeconomic. Read full article »

July 1st, 2010 | Posted in Economy | No Comments »

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