Posted on 06/02/2018 1:09:19 AM PDT by GonzoII
PARIS (AFP) - A populist government in Rome, political instability in Madrid, democratic crises in the east and a transatlantic trade war to the west: the European Union faces threats and challenges on multiple fronts.
On Friday, Italy's President Sergio Mattarella swore in an anti-establishment and eurosceptic government comprising the Five Star Movement and the far-right League.
Their agenda -- increased public spending in the EU's most indebted nation, coupled with anti-German rhetoric -- has led to concerns for the bloc's future and its single currency, the euro.
Also Friday, Spain's parliament ousted Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote sparked by fury over his party's corruption woes, with his Socialist arch-rival Pedro Sanchez automatically taking over.
"In Spain, it's a localised issue about corruption, but Italy is obviously very serious," John Springford of the London-based Centre for European Reform (CER) think-tank told AFP.
"It is too big to fail in terms of the eurozone, and too big to save."
While Italy is clearly the most pressing danger facing the 28-member bloc, it is not the only one.
Asked this week if Rome had become Europe's Achilles Heel, Gianni Riotta from the Council on Foreign Relations joked: "How many heels can Europe sport? Greece, the United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary -? too many, I'd say."
In eastern Europe, European Union officials fret that nationalist governments in Poland and Hungary are undermining democratic standards such as the independence of the judiciary and media freedom.
Brussels launched unprecedented legal action against Warsaw in December over "systemic threats" to the independence of the Polish judiciary.
Britain, meanwhile, is engaged in the painful and at times bitter negotiations to leave the European Union, having decided to leave the bloc in a 2016 referendum...
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
The EU descends further down the crapper.
“Hellloooo down there....”
The richer nations showing more “solidarity” with the poorer nations. I translated that as giving them more money. That would be like giving money to a cocaine addict. Virtually all of Europe’s problems come down to something not mentioned in the article; cultural Marxism.
________________________________________________________________
Angela Merkel (Germany) - childless.
Emmanuel Macron (France) - childless.
Theresa May (Great Britain) - childless.
Paolo Gentilon (Italy) - childless.
Mark Rutte (Netherlands) - childless.
Nicola Sturgeon (Scotland) - childless.
Jean-Claude Juncker (President of EU) - childless.
Great point there, having no children and with that no personal imperative to leave a better world for them to grow up in means that for these ‘leaders’ it’s all about ‘Me’.
Just one of the many reasons Europe is going into the crapper.
one big sh##hole
Interesting, and prophetic.
"looks to outsiders like something familiar from eras past: A powerful caste’s self-serving explanation for why it alone deserves to rule the world."
Obama misread narcissistically this reality, as the Deplorables being too dumb to see his wisdom. It seems such cluelessness infects the EU as well. That's ok- it likely means more and sustained MAGA for us and goodness in other nations with a Trumpian zeitgeist.
Yes, I believe that man arises from Europe.
Time will tell...
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