Fixed Statistics Burden Greek Debt
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www.neweurope.eu 21ST YEAR OF PUBLICATION NUMBER 1057 10-16 NOVEMBER, 2013 € 3.50 AZERJ BAI AN Page 28 Page 03 KASSANDRA Page 32 GuessFixed what would happenstatistics if the debt of burden Greek debt a number of public enterprises is sud- denly transferred to a state’s accounts before returning these enterprises back to the private sector where they belong. INTERVIEW Page 16 Of course it’s a recipe for disaster and one that most countries would obvi- ously try to avoid. For obvious reasons, it is also strictly forbidden in the European Union. So, N ow you see it, Schulz beats nobody why was this regulation not enforced in The PES attempt to have a transparent and crisis-stricken Greece? How can the Eu- democratic process to select a commission ropean Union continue to treat one of its now you don’t! president candidate produced only one nomi- core members (Greece) so unjustly? nation and silence from the left. BY MARIETJE SCHAAKE MEP Page 09 A digital future needs real net neutrality TroikaDon't say everyone blame else made mistakes us ur successes were much more WITH LUIGI GAmbARDEllA Page 11 than the failures, agreed the European Central Bank (ECB) Oand the European Commission (EC) Dial M during the hearing on Troika’s work in the bailout countries held on Tuesday in the European Parliament. Despite for market academics’ and MEPs’ strong language about the false forecasts in the beginning consolidation of the programmes, Servaas Deroose from the DG ECFIN and Klaus Masuch from the ECB presented Troika’s opera- Page 05 tions as both legitimised and useful for ROMANIA the countries that they visited. Some of the metaphors used by The last the MEPs to describe the Troika’s ope- rations as well as the representatives’ presentations are the following: IMF fail to turn up on European parliament to defend Troika record autocrat “Your forecasts are worse than the AFP PHOTO / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI worst weather channel”. “Listening to of Europe the ECB and the EC talking about Tro- “it is important to remember that the we had no idea of the country’s struc- ika, it is almost like hearing the spokes- Eurogroup is the body which actually tural problems”, said Masuch. men of Alice in Wonderland”. “Your decides whether to grant financial as- timing is a bit like your forecasts". sistance and under what terms”. “We On the successes Page 07 BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR IMF’s absence was criticised by never act alone”, Deroose agreed. “The good news is that there is the MEPs, whereas the ECB and the light at the end of the tunnel”, stressed EC did not want to take any position. Begging for understanding Masuch to receive many objections Business “It is very difficult to make fore- from the part of the MEPs. “All coun- On democratinc legitimation casts. What we need is your understan- tries under economic adjustment pro- and Society “The European Commission is al- ding and not your criticism”, said Dero- grammes have made very significant ways accountable to the European Par- ose, whereas Masuch acknowledged: progress in reducing their economic liament”, said Deroose while stressing “We were wrong about Greece, but imbalances, addressing structural that “EC’s role is to help the commu- we were right with Ireland”. In Gree- rigidities –especially in labour mar- nication between ECB and IMF”. Re- ce, he explained, some things should kets- and ensuring financial stability”, garding ECB’s role in the Troika, Klau have been done differently but it was added Mesuch. From his side, Dero- Masuch explained that the ECB acts not Troika’s fault. “Delays and shortco- ose stressed that “unemployment in in liaison with the Commission in or- mings from the Greek side sabotaged Eurozone has finally stabilised and it is der to provide technical advice, based our cooperation. When we arrived in important that the adjustment proce- on its expertise”. He also stressed that Greece the figures were inaccurate and dures are fair”. NEWEUROPE 02 www.neweurope.eu ANALYSIS 10-16 November, 2013 The Shooting Gallery MM The sanguinaryA warnew in Syria, among otherbreed? surprises it has in store for our European civilisation, has also uncovered one more: the thousands of European citizens who are joining Syria’s rebels fighting against the coun- try’s President Bashar al-Assad. These “modern Jihadis” are nothing more than Muslims themselves, the sons and grandsons of Muslims. In other words, they are the second and third generation of immigrants who settled in Europe many years ago. These young fighters were born in Europe and they grew up here. They studied at European schools where they were taught European values. Their fathers did what they could to assimilate into the local society and they struggled to become accepted and to gain respect. So what happened? Why are young men from Norway, the Netherlands and other countries flying to Turkey and jumping the border into neigh- bouring Syria to join these warlords? What happened to the European values they learned in school? Have European values been lost on these second and third generation immigrants? What! You want a job you silly boy? BELGA PHOTO POOL JAVIER BERNAL REVERT For decades, serious differences have divided immigrant policies in Euro- pean with those in the New World. In the United States and in Australia, for example, the society is multicultural. This means every different eth- nic group enjoys its own space and is able to develop its own identity. In Europe, however, our system has been pluralistic. Here, different cultures ARS have always met under the presupposition that European values are ac- E 10 YE cepted and respected in order to secure the permanent enrichment of our N society. AGO But this situation has changed. European society isn’t pluralist anymore. It has become multicultural. But even when angry young Muslims started rioting in the streets of Eng- A decade ago, Israel was the number one bad land, we didn’t realise that things had started to change. It started becom- guy, when a poll showed that 59% of Europe- ing clear after riots erupted in the Muslim immigrant suburbs around ans considered them the biggest threat to world Paris several years ago. peace. The US tied with North Korea and Iran So we should not be surprised by the fact that a growing number of young at 53%. On the financial side, there were prob- Europeans today are feeling more inclined to fight a “holy war” in another R lems over the stability pact, where the French country than to live a peaceful life at home. were pledging ‘credible’ action to reduce their But why is this? The answer is that European societies have failed to in- budget deficit. tegrate the second and even the third generation of immigrants. Instead, Meanwhile in Chechnya, the EU was pleading they have allowed the creation of invisible ghettos in their neighbour- with Putin to uphold the rule of law at a sum- hoods and inside their secularist schools and universities. They have mit where Commission President Prodi was ac- companied by Putin and Berlusconi. stood by as huge social and cultural walls were built between “us” and There were rumblings of a trade war between “them”. the EU and US after American exports were The harsh reality of the economic crisis that is facing Europeans today judged by the WTO to be an illegal subsidy. is something the second and third generation has been struggling with many years. The social frustration and feeling that there is little hope for a better future is exactly what is sending them right into the hands of mod- EDITOR DIRECTOR BRUSSELS HEADQUARTERS ern Jihad warlords. Basil A. Coronakis A lexandros Koronakis [email protected] Av. de Tervuren/Tervurenlaan 96, This is not something new in history. One needs only to remember how [email protected] 1040 Brussels, Belgium Nazism thrived on people’s social frustration. This is even true in most MANAGING EDITORS Tel. +32 2 5390039 Ko nstantin Tsapogas von Taube EXECUTIVE LAYOUT PRODUCER Fax +32 2 5390339 European Union countries today as regards the ascent of far-right parties. [email protected] S uman Haque [email protected] For the growing number of second and third generation Muslim immi- Th eodoros Benakis (Print ed.) [email protected] [email protected] PUBLISHERS grants in Europe, there are two deciding factors: they are the sons of im- SUBSCRIPTIONS & DISTRIBUTION BRUSSELS NEWS AGENCY SPRL SENIOR EDITORIAL TEAM [email protected] migrants and they belong to other religions. K ostis Geropoulos Avenue de Tervueren 96 Subscriptions are available worldwide 1040 Etterbeek Belgium (Energy & Russian Affairs) U Properly prepared on the “ideological” level, they find money - paid by [email protected] Tel. +32 2 5390039 N INDEPENDENCE the Muslim countries that are financing many of the oppositionist groups A ndy Carling (EU Affairs) [email protected] [email protected] New Europe is a privately owned in Syria. They also find respect among other Muslims. And they find a independent publication, and is not Alia Papageorgiou (Business) EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTIONS ISSN MBER: 1106-8299 new world which is inviting and which claims to give them an identity, EUROPE [email protected] subsidised or financed in any way by A riti Alamanou (Legal Affairs) any EU institution or other entity. Signed Contributions express solely the despite the fact that, after all, death is on the daily agenda. [email protected] views of the writers and do not necessarily But more than anything else, they find something that European society - L ouise Kissa (Fashion) reflect the opinion of the newspaper.