It has been widely reported over the weekend that the European Commission (EC) is seriously considering rejecting France’s new budget proposal which will see it run a deficit of 4.3% next year rather than the EC target of 3%. As the graph above shows…
Posted by Open Europe blog team
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budgetary discipline, EU budget rules, European Commission, fiscal compact, France, franco-german axis, Francois Hollande |
August 22, 2014
The front page of Germany financial daily Handelsblatt today depicts France as the sick man of Europe, warning that “a once proud nation faces economic decline.” Of course warnings of French decline have been made before – notably the famous ticking ba…
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economic competitiveness, France, franco-german axis, French economy, german media, germany |
April 4, 2014
The appointment of Arnaud Montebourg – an outspoken critic of German and EU-mandated austerity and pro-competitivenesses policies – as the new French Economy Minister has not gone down well in Germany.In a feature piece headlined, “He insults…
Posted by Open Europe blog team
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devaluation, eurozone, France, franco-german axis, Francois Hollande, germany, Montebourg, quotes of the crisis, state aid |
This morning saw the release of the latest set of Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) – a set of indicators used to measure the economic health of the manufacturing and service sectors. The figures for the eurozone as a whole once again beat expe…
Posted by Open Europe blog team
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economic growth, eurozone, France, franco-german axis, germany, growth, pmi |
We’ve managed to get our hands on the CDU/CSU’s draft manifesto for September’s federal elections, which is not due to be officially presented until Sunday. Given that the CDU (which always runs jointly with its Bavarian sister party CSU) is the single…
Posted by Open Europe blog team
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CDU/CSU, eurobonds, European Commission, eurozone, franco-german axis, German 2013 federal election, labour market reform, manifesto, Merkel |
Peer Steinbruck laid out his foreign policy in a talk at Berlin’s Free University Peer Steinbrück , leader of Germany’s centre-left SPD Party, and Merkel’s main opposition in September’s elections, laid out his foreign policy in a speech yesterd…
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angela merkel, anglo-german axis, britain in europe, CDU/CSU, franco-german axis, franco-german-polish axis, german elections, peer steinbruck, SPD |
April 29, 2013
Who wears the trousers?On Friday Le Monde got a big scoop with the news that French President Hollande’s Socialist party had drafted a strongly worded paper criticising Angela Merkel and her focus on austerity, accusing her amongst other things of
Posted by Open Europe blog team
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angela merkel, France, franco-german axis, german media, germany, Hollande |
French President François Hollande’s Socialist Party will hold its ‘Convention on Europe’ in Paris on 16 June. Several working papers are currently being prepared as a basis for discussion among party members and supporters at the Convention. One of t…
Posted by Open Europe blog team
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austerity, France, franco-german axis, germany, growth, Hollande, Merkel |
April 25, 2013
The last few days have seen a shifting of consensus in the ECB rate cuts debate.Recent economic data in the eurozone has been particularly bad, with private sector activity slowing more than expected. However, potentially more importantly, this effect …
Posted by Open Europe blog team
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asmussen, ECB, ECB balance sheet, ECB Governing Council, ecb rate cut, eurozone, franco-german axis, interbank market, interest rates, Merkel, monetary policy, one-size-fits-all monetary policy |
February 21, 2013
The political repercussions of the recent EU budget agreement – when London and Berlin stood on the same side and Paris took itself out of the game – are still reverberating. Yesterday, Former French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo told French r…
Posted by Open Europe blog team
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2014-2020 MFF, anglo-german axis, France, franco-german axis, germany, MFF, peer steinbruck, rainar bruderle |
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