Agora
Posts in Europe
When will Greek banks operate as credit institutions again?
Despite the successful recapitalisation process and continued restructuring of the Greek banking sector, the credit transmission mechanism towards the real economy remains severely impaired. Two key reasons account for this severe deficit.
Contributor: Jens Bastian
Categories: Europe (293), Economy (345), Greece (523)
A summit of little substance
The European Council meeting on 24-25 October 2013 was a rather low-key affair, with the scheduled policy debates on substantive issues overshadowed by the National Security Agency scandal and allegations that the US intelligence authorities had tapped the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel (and possibly other heads of state or government).
Contributor: Janis A. Emmanouilidis
Categories: Europe (293), Politics (410)
![Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2013/10/21/airplaneedit_800_esenbel_2110-large.jpg "Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]")
Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras held an informal dinner with some of his party’s MPs. He reportedly told them that if Greece would be able to get through a tough summer, it would “take off” in September. We are now nearing the end of October and there has been no departure for the skies. Instead, Samaras is bracing for impact.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Europe (293), Politics (410), Economy (345), Greece (523)
![Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2013/10/10/blue_esenbel_800_1010-large.jpg "Photo by Can Esenbel [www.mundanepleasure.com]")
It remains a mystery
The Wall Street Journal leaked this week the minutes of an International Monetary Fund board meeting in May, 2010, just a few days before Greece signed its first bailout. The extracts reveal that there was serious concern among about a third of the country representatives, who raised serious objections about the Greek programme.
Contributor: Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Europe (293), Economy (345), Greece (523)
Who’s afraid of Angela Merkel?
Angela Merkel triumphed in the German elections. The 41.5 percent gained by the CDU/CSU put her in the same league as her conservative predecessors, Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl. While most of Europe hoped for a different outcome, Germans opted for Mutti (mummy) Angela. Her simple message was: “You know me.” This was the closest a campaign has come to Adenauer’s “No experiments” in the late 50s, and it succeeded.
Contributor: Christos Katsioulis
Categories: Europe (293), Politics (410)