The roles & policies of other member-states
The genius of Merkel - Germans love her, Europe loathes her. Why?
12 December 2012
Prospect
Greek newspapers like to portray German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Nazi uniform. The Italian daily Libero has greeted her with a rude Vaffanmerkel! on its cover.
Can Angela Merkel talk Cameron into being a more flexible ally?
07 November 2012
The Guardian
The vexed EU budget is supposed to be the main topic of discussion when Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, meets David Cameron for supper on Wednesday in Downing Street.
London to Germany: Now save the euro
31 October 2012
The Globalist
Plenty of policy makers and analysts in the United States and the United Kingdom think Germany is destroying the euro. The Germans think they are saving it. Clearly, they both can't be right.
A three-tier EU puts single market at risk
25 October 2012
Financial Times
The euro crisis is changing the shape of the EU. As the countries in the eurozone seek to strengthen it by centralising economic policy making, three tiers are emerging within the union.
Power struggle: Is Germany's constitution the real bar to the euro rescue?
17 October 2012
Prospect
12th September 2012, 10am in Germany. Bond traders in London and Frankfurt are staring at their screens. Once again, the fate of the eurozone seems to be hanging in the balance.
In the sleepy west German town of Karlsruhe, eight red-robed judges take a seat in front of pale wood panelling....
In the sleepy west German town of Karlsruhe, eight red-robed judges take a seat in front of pale wood panelling....
Hollande, los Alemanes y la union politica
16 October 2012
Foreign Policy - En espanol
Antes de convertirse en presidente de Francia, François Hollande no parecía estar muy interesado en la UE. Sin embargo, en su juventud fue un protegido de Jacques Delors, el gran europeo de la izquierda francesa, y su instinto es, en términos generales, europeísta. La llegada de Hollande al Elíseo no...
Après Merkozy
03 October 2012
The International Herald Tribune
Before becoming president of France, François Hollande did not appear to take much interest in the European Union.
What now after 'seismic shift'?
01 July 2012
The Sunday Business Post
The prospect of an agreement to ease Ireland's debt burden has been boosted by the EU bank deal, but a lot of things still have to go right, writes Hugo Brady of the Centre for European Reform.
O efeito dominó que ameaça a Espanha e a zona do euro
19 June 2012
Carta Maior
Em entrevista à Carta Maior, Simon Tilford, economista chefe do Centre for European Reform, defende a necessidade de uma massiva injeção fiscal na eurozona, sem a qual a Espanha terá que pedir um resgate este ano.
Germans, the euro and the painful truth
12 June 2012
International Herald Tribune
Will the Germans save the euro? Many people within the European Union and further afield are urging Berlin to take bold steps to secure the currency’s future. They have become frustrated by the Germans' apparent inaction.
But the view of German policy makers — conveyed to me on a recent visit...
But the view of German policy makers — conveyed to me on a recent visit...
Why closing the Irish embassy in Tehran is a mistake
24 April 2012
Politico
The recent furore over the closure of closure of the Irish Embassy to the Vatican drowned out any discussion over the withdrawal of other embassies, including that in Tehran last month. Almost unnoticed, Iran has been lumped in with Timor Leste as one of two other Irish diplomatic missions that...
Nothing to celebrate
04 January 2012
Foreign Policy
Think 2011 was a bad year for Europe? 2012 could be a whole lot worse - if EU leaders don't get serious and deal with these 6 problems.
Welcome to the new year. In Europe, it doesn't look particularly promising. Even in the most optimistic scenarios for the...
Welcome to the new year. In Europe, it doesn't look particularly promising. Even in the most optimistic scenarios for the...