Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.
Display:
Shifting this a little to the Greek problem, I wonder if the EU has really gotten serious politically. Here you have a nation still spending 4% of GDP on armaments, a nation that is being asked to sell off assets that will go to service a debt load it will eventually default on. In the end, Greece's public asset sales will be used to fill the coffers of banks immediately, while the assets themselves will fill the coffers of corporations for 50 years or more, depriving Greece of needed income (especially with respect to selling off gambling and lottery concessions) for a long time.

Meanwhile, Greece is still purchasing military equipment. Worse, though evidence has been uncovered of bribes to Greek officials from corporations for the delivery of things such as submarines (which don't actually work in warm Med. waters) to the tune of billions of euros, Greece is forced to take on these "assets."

If the EU were serious, they would guarantee Greece's security, force Greece to end military purchases, cancel contracts, sell of submarines etc.

by Upstate NY on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 11:48:56 AM EST
But the EU is not serious, it's being run like a neoliberal looting project like the Washington Consensus of the 1980's and 90's.

Economics is politics by other means
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 11:51:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Where were the submarines being bought from?
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 11:51:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Germany, of course.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 11:53:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]
So we see how it works. German bailouts being channelled back to German companies.

All hail free-market capitalism.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 11:55:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm sure German bans loaned Greece the money for the purchases in the first place, too.

Economics is politics by other means
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 11:58:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Germany.

Economics is politics by other means
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 11:54:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Also a French frigate.

It's not exactly a secret either, Daniel Cohn-Bendit complained about it.

Also...

MEPs and defence experts are calling on the EU commission to go after market-distorting, corrupt side-deals to big weapon deals between member states, such as the ones greasing Germany's submarine sales to Portugal and Greece.


Economics is politics by other means
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 11:57:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:

Occasional Series