British business leaders: The economic case to stay in the EU is overwhelming

British business community responded to increasing anti-EU political rhetoric. Does British business community has a potential to significantly influence the debate on the future of UK in the EU and how?

Hollande’s EU vision. Is it genuine and realistic?

Read few comments.

Questions:

1. Do you think Hollande’s proposals about the economic government with its own budget and right to borrow are only political in the sense he needed something strong to counter the recession news or that this is really Paris’ plans?

2. Do you consider it realistic? Can he eventually win the support of the other Eurozone countries for such proposal?

Answers:

Robert Ladrech, Professor of European Politics, School of Politics, International Relations & Philosophy, Keele University

1. I think it is both; in other words, he needed to have an initiative to counter the accumulating bad news, especially economic, and second, as a French Socialists, this proposition which puts some content into notions of political union are consistent with the general line of the party. Added details of course would be due, and to assuage his left-wing, he would need to show that such an economic government was not simply an extension of the ECB. Bear in mind also that German elections are only 4 months away, so it positions France to keep this idea alive whichever side wins.

2. It is not realistic in the short term, but if all the proposed changes of the past year or two become the basis of a new treaty – that is, further development to the Fiscal compact – then a model of such a ‘deepened’ EU-core needs to be articulated. In this respect, say a few years from now, and if the economy turns around, then maybe this will not sound too far-fetched.

(Thanks to @SunWuKchung for providing this).

What can the EU do on possible Brexit amid Tory civil war?

The Conservative leadership will publish a draft Bill to guarantee that an in/out referendum on Europe will be held by 2017. From the outside it seems that PM Cameron is first of all trying to please the part of his Conservative Party. But would you say that the EU, members states should somehow react on what is going on in the UK or not, and why? Read few comments.

European Union: France versus Germany. Or not?

How would you evaluate French-German relations one year after François Hollande’s victory in the French presidential elections? Is the Franco-German engine still working? Read few comments.

A blow on Portuguese government’s austerity plans?

Portuguese Constitutional Court rejects some budget articles. What kind of impact, if any, the decision may have on the government and on the politics in Portugal, respectively on the austerity measures introduced by government? Read few comments.

Blame Germany! Blame Germany?

Spanish El Pais was just recently forced to retract Chancellor Merkel comparison to Hitler.  Frankly speaking, I find this kind of comparison totally idiotic. But on the other hand what do you think about the German leadership in the EU? Does it deserve some portion of criticism or not, and why? Read few comments.

Vaclav Klaus as Member of the European Parliament? Will he lead eurosceptic forces?

You can find lot of speculations in the Czech media on ex-President Vaclav Klaus’s future and one of the most persistent is that he may try to become MEP. Let`s say Klaus will become MEP. Do you think that he could be a real leader of eurosceptic forces in the EU or not, and why? Read few comments by Sean Hanley, Senior Lecturer in East European Politics, University College London.

How angry will Cyprus be over the Eurozone bailout?

Would you say that the Cypriot politicians will face some real backlash from people or not, and why?

Italy: With Grillo also the euro. No problem

According to this poll a large majority of Italians are in favor of staying in the Eurozone they do not even want a formal referendum on staying in the Eurozone. But on the other hand lot of Italians voted for Grillo, Berlusconi, for politicians critical towards the EU, Eurozone. Would you say it is a contradiction or not, and why?

Europe full of Grillos?

Some people claim Beppe Grillo is the only winner in Italian vote. It seem that Grillo basically doesn’t have any real political plan (not to mention something like foreign policy agenda), he is even more vague than other politicians, he is very successful in using social media, his supporters claim that they could not be defined as left or right-win, he call himself a populist. Would you say that the similar movements like Grillo’s have a real future in the European politics or not, and why?