Europe

Reporting Back: Courtney Weaver on Azerbaijan

May 23, 2012 2:02 pm by FT

In our Reporting Back series, we ask FT foreign correspondents to tell us about a recent trip.

Courtney Weaver, a correspondent for the FT in Moscow, visited Azerbaijan ahead of the Eurovision song contest – the final of which is being held in the country’s capital, Baku, on Saturday.

Why now? The fact that Azerbaijan is hosting Eurovision this year has shone a light on the Caspian country of 9 million people – and in particular, its human rights record. The event itself is typically a festival of kitsch in which contestants from 41 European countries, clad in sequins and tights, sing their hearts out for their nation. Azerbaijan has embraced the contest as a chance to shape the West’s opinion of the country and what defines it.

Continue reading: “Reporting Back: Courtney Weaver on Azerbaijan”

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Posted in Europe, Reporting Back |

Behind closed doors: a Greek tragicomedy

May 22, 2012 8:19 pm by FT

By Tony Barber, Europe Editor

Greece, teetering on the precipice of the eurozone, is to hold a parliamentary election on June 17. This will be its second such vote in 43 days. A depressing insight into the country’s political paralysis was provided by transcripts of discussions that President Karolos Papoulias, Greece’s head of state, held with party political leaders on May 13 in an attempt to resolve the impasse.

These transcripts (made public by the president’s office) would make you roar with laughter – if you weren’t weeping in despair at the petty-mindedness, stupidity and shamelessness of some of Greece’s politicians.

Continue reading: “Behind closed doors: a Greek tragicomedy”

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Posted in Europe, Greece |

Breivik trial takes Norway through valley of death

May 22, 2012 12:51 pm by FT

Anders Behring Breivik in court, May 21, 2012. REUTERS

By Martin Sandbu

The terror trial against Anders Behring Breivik – now in its sixth week – may have slipped away from the attention of the world press.

But in Norway, there is little respite from proceedings that have now passed the halfway mark. While the court took a two-day recess for the national holiday – ‘Constitution day’ – on May 17, it will now keep working until the trial concludes on June 22.

Continue reading: “Breivik trial takes Norway through valley of death”

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Posted in Europe |
From FT.com May 21, 2012

By Gideon Rachman

As I read the umpteenth article on the “Grexit”, a phrase from the film ‘Marathon Man’ ran around my head. In this cult-thriller, Laurence Olivier plays a war criminal turned dentist who tortures Dustin Hoffman by drilling through his dental nerves without anaesthetic. As he does so, he asks repeatedly “Is it safe?”

Posted in Europe, Financial crisis, Global economy, Greece |

Merkel’s summit of two halves, and her Ukraine row

May 20, 2012 8:04 pm by Gideon Rachman

Ecstasy and agony: UK PM David Cameron, US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and French President François Hollande watching the European Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich. Photo PA

Angela Merkel has not had a good weekend. She was close to being isolated at the Group of Eight summit. Barack Obama, François Hollande and David Cameron all ratcheted up the pressure on Germany to go for “growth” in Europe. This the Germans suspect, with some reason, is code for pouring more German money into southern Europe, tolerating higher inflation and monkeying around with European Central Bank independence.

Then Bayern Munich lost, at home, to Chelsea in the final of the Champions League. German officials had campaigned for a big-screen television to be put up at the Camp David summit, so the chancellor could watch the game. In the event the Bavarians lost, after dominating the whole match – and Ms Merkel was photographed looking like she was sucking on a lemon, while next to her Mr Cameron punched the air, and Mr Obama grinned inanely.

Continue reading: “Merkel’s summit of two halves, and her Ukraine row”

Posted in Europe, Germany |

In the Picture: Greek exit?

May 17, 2012 6:01 pm by Esther Bintliff
REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Today we’re looking at Greece. Yup, again. But over the last week, the possibility that the Mediterranean country of 11 million people might actually leave the eurozone – a scenario long considered taboo – has become increasingly plausible. European policymakers and central bankers have gone from repeated assurances that a ‘Grexit’ would never, EVER happen, to a gradual admission that, yes, it’s possible. And if that’s the case, then the threat of contagion to the larger eurozone economies of Spain and Italy – and thus the broader single currency project – is magnified. Much will rest on the outcome of fresh elections in Greece on June 17. In the meantime:

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Posted in Europe, Greece, In The Picture |

In the Picture: Greece and the eurozone crisis

May 11, 2012 7:28 pm by Esther Bintliff

The eurozone crisis is back with a vengeance. In a Bloomberg poll published on Thursday, 57% of 1,253 Bloomberg subscribers said they believed at least one country would abandon the euro by year-end. No prizes for guessing which country they might be thinking of.

Greece’s political landscape shifted drastically after support for its two biggest parties collapsed in the general election, propelling the far left Syriza party into the spotlight. Spain, meanwhile, is set to miss its budget deficit target for this year and the next. The government also had to part-nationalise the troubled Bankia.

We rounded up the best reads on Spain for you last week. Now we take a look at one of the other countries currently at the centre of the crisis – Greece – and give you the top analysis and comment from the FT and elsewhere.

Continue reading: “In the Picture: Greece and the eurozone crisis”

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Posted in Europe, Greece, In The Picture |

FT podcast: World Weekly

May 10, 2012 12:40 am by FT

Growth vs austerity in the eurozone

The growth vs austerity debate has been a focal point of eurozone politics over the past weeks. With voters in France and Greece appearing to reject austerity in this weekend’s elections, are we beginning to see a shift in policy from austerity towards spurring growth? Ralph Atkins, Hugh Carnegy, Chris Giles and Ben Hall join Shawn Donnan to discuss.

Posted in Europe, Financial crisis, France, Greece |
From FT.com May 7, 2012

By Gideon Rachman

In rural France on Sunday night, the newly-elected French president took to the stage and announced that he would lead the battle in Europe against austerity. On the other side of the continent, Greek voters were calling his bluff. By overwhelmingly opting for parties that want to either repudiate or renegotiate Greece’s bailout deal, they have handed François Hollande a painful dilemma. Will he stand with the Greek people against austerity? Or will he stand with the German government and the International Monetary Fund, in insisting that the Greek bailout cannot be renegotiated?

Posted in Europe, Financial crisis, France, French politics, Germany, Greece |

European elections reaction: live blog

May 7, 2012 7:21 am by John Aglionby

Welcome to our rolling coverage of the reaction to elections in France and Greece on a big day for Europe.

By Tom Burgis, John Aglionby and Esther Bintliff in London with contributions from FT correspondents around the world. All times are London time.

This post should update automatically every few minutes, although it might take longer on mobile devices.

16.52 That’s the lot of the live blog today. See FT.com for more news and analysis through the night.

We’ll leave you with a quick summary and some reading. Today:

  • Markets reacted warily at first to the French and Greece results, although equities and bonds recovered through the day. The euro stayed weaker though
  • Angela Merkel promised François Hollande a warm welcome in Berlin but said the eurozone’s fiscal pact was not up for re-negotiation. She also urged Greece to stick to the cuts programme agreed with lenders
  • Greece’s political leaders wrangled over a possible coalition government after voters administered a thumping to the two biggest parties, leading to predictions of a fresh election and a potential move to tinker with the terms of the country’s €174bn bail-out
  • Spain reversed course and said it plans to pump public cash into troubled lender Bankia
  • Leftists from Dublin to Stockholm hailed the victory of a Socialist in France, with many seeking to use Hollande’s triumph to push for more pro-growth policies to temper European austerity
    Continue reading: “European elections reaction: live blog”

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Posted in Europe, French politics, Greece |
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with Gideon Rachman

About this blog About Gideon Blog guide
Gideon Rachman and his FT colleagues debate international affairs. Read more on the authors.

Gideon became chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times in July 2006. He joined the FT after a 15-year career at The Economist, which included spells as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Washington and Bangkok. He also edited The Economist’s business and Asia sections.

His particular interests include American foreign policy, the European Union and globalisation
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