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Home arrow newsitems arrow Double leap forward: EuroZone celebrates twice its 10th Anniversary. Strasbourg adding to Frankfurt

Double leap forward: EuroZone celebrates twice its 10th Anniversary. Strasbourg adding to Frankfurt

Written by ACM
Wednesday, 14 January 2009

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Double leap forward when EuroZone celebrates twice its 10th Anniversary :
 
 
- Strasbourg 2009 adds Political dimension to Frankfurt 2008.



    EuroZone's rare privilege to celebrate ..twice its 10 Years Anniversary, first at Central European Bank's Headquarters at nearby Frankfurt on 2008, and now at EU Parliament in Strasbourg on 2009, saw a big Change :  From classic Monetary Stability to innovative Economic Policy...

    Nobody among the Chiefs of State or Goverment or Senior Experts who had attended the CEB's Summit, could have imagine what followed :

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    - Back on June 2008, the accent was placed, indeed, mainly into stressing the fact that a strict Monetary Policy was also "Social", because it protected the People from risks of abrupt Devaluation, of which they had suffered in the Past, as German Chancelor Merkel had reminded then.

    The image of People suddenly losing their jobs, Businesses desinvesting, Factories closing, Banks stoping to lend money, Stock Markets going astray, Funds going bankrupt, Hundreds of Millions disappearing like thin air, in brief : The Global Financial and Economic Crisis which followed since September 2008, seemed still unthinkable...

    And EuroZone's President, Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker's attitude to "EuroFora"s question on eventual perspectives for "EuroGroup" to acquire also a "Political" dimension, had been surprisingly moderate and low-key, as if he didn't really think that it might be desirable.

    At least that was the frustrating impression he gave us when we raised such questions with President Juncker also at EU Parliament or when he got a Honoris Causa Doctoral diploma" at Strasbourg's University.. This had surprised us, because it was in complete contrast with his, otherwise, voluntary, combative personality, fond of big challenges and great vision..

    However, even back in Frankfurt, at CEB's Headquarters, during its 10 Years' Anniversary, IMF's Senior Expert on Europe, Allessandro Leipold, presenting the conclusions of a check-up by the austere Washington DC Global Financial body, had already started to surprise :

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    IMF's diagnostics, while praising EuroZone's succes in achieving price Stability and building Confidence, at the same time, warned that Contradictions were growing and a Deceleration of Growth was possible : Therefore, FMI advised EuroZone to look after its own Cohesion and Economic Development.

    Joining the dots together, "EuroFora" had asked IMF's Senior Expert if this meant that EuroZone' countries should make "common European replies" to Global Market upheavels, (such as Oil or Food price sharp rises at that moment).

    Leipold's reply, even if it looked more like a "Yes !", was carefully covered by a typical Washington DC IMF's "diplomatic" foggy language, which left things rather vague and foggy. Wisely, he also postponed a definite appraisal for after the 2008 Summer...

    (A more detailed overview is available for EuroFora's subscribers).

    But now, January 2009, the change revealed at EU Parliament's special event for Euro's 10th Anniversary, organized in Strasbourg, compared its Frankfurt twin, was astonishing :

    The tone was given from the outset, when EU Parliament's President, German ChristianDemocrat MEP Hans Gert Poettering, described the succesful October 2008 1st EuroZone Summit, convened in Paris at the initiative of French President Nicolas Sarkozy :

    - " It wasn't merely a matter of Economy : The common European Decision proved that a Political Europe can exist !".

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    And here is "another", differend Juncker; now :  

    - "During its 50 Years, Europe often astonished by its capacity to formulate Great Ambitions, and also to develop the necessary mentality and Determination to apply, in a consequent way, the ambition it nourishes", he started.

    -  "Anniversaries have value only when they serve as Bridges for the Future" : "The Economic and Monetary Union is, certainly, an Economic project, but, above all, it's a Political project. In consequence, we must use the 2nd Decade of the Euro to finalise the Economic and Monetary Union by reinforcing its Political instances at the internal and external field", Juncker concluded.
    
    - " What matters most today is our responsibility for the Future. If New Challenges ..are faced with utmost Lucidity and Audacity, they can generate ..Powerful Ideas", concluded even the traditionaly auster CEB's President Jean-Claude Truchet..

    - "The symbol of integration which is Euro's success, must incite to advance further in the European construction... To the fatality of failure, let's oppose the Dynamics of Succes, called, here and now, Euro", added former French President, and Coordinator of the EU Constitution, Valery Giscard d'Estaing.

    But he also warned to avoid to give Euro "a Global dimension" : "Its a European Money and must express its specific Culture of reason and stability in the concert of other world money".

    Co-Rapporteurs German MEP Verner Langen and French MEP Francine Beres, added in the debate their main proposals, endorsed by EU Parliament earlier in Strasbourg, to "strengthen the Political dimension of the EuroGroup, both internaly and externally".

sarko_1st_eurozone_summit_12_octobre_2008_400_01

    In vain, Brittish Nationalist MEP Nigel Farad, speaking for the IND/DEM Group recalled the "old Soviet times"' facticious "plans", expressing "doubts" if the Euro will survive another 10 Years, and accusing the EU to "stuck" national Governments "inside Euro straitjacket", which will be "tested for the first time" during this Global crisis, as he said...

    He was contradicted by Greek Communist Kostas Droutsas, who blamed Euro to be, on the contrary, one of "Capital's tools to intensify the exploitation of the working class".

    The fact is that, during this first Month of 2009, EuroZone penetrated inside the first former "Socialist" country to adopt it willingly ; Slovakia. This incited the Czech Republic, currently chairing the EU, to move : Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek anounced this same week in Strasbourg that his country intends to adopt the Euro currency asap, preparing another change at Prague...

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    As for EU Citizens, they are obviously glad to be able to move accross 16 EU Member States without being obliged, no more, to change money at each border, wasting time and paying exchange percentages, as in the Past.. But they's certainly like for EuroZone to become able to protect them also from Financial and Economic Crisis..

    Finally, this "big change" was nothing new for Strasbourg :

    - It's as soon as 1995, during a visionary "State of the Union" debate at EU Parliament here, that MEPs were told that the adoption of the Euro would "pave the way" for the emergence of a Political Europe :

    By tranferring to a European level the national States' traditional capacity to stimulate Economy by augmenting the mass of Money put into circulation, the creation of EuroZone would inevitably create the need to transfet to a European level also a responsibility for Economic Policy, the 1995 visionary debate had concluded.

    - "Vote for the Euro, and afterwards we shall have e Political Europe. Because if a Political Europe does not emerge to monitor the Monetary Europe, the People will never accept it, never", as former EU Commission's President, Jacques Delors had said earlier, Prof. Alain Lipietz, spokesman of the Green Group in EU Parliament, reminded.

    But Strasbourg's Mayor, Senator Roland Ries, in a special anouncement, after receiving President Poetterings' invitees at Rohan Palace, reminded also that "it was since 1989" that former French President Francois Mitterand had launched a call in Strasbourg, joined by German Chancelor Helmut Kohl and others, to boost a European Economic and Monetary Union..

    1995 - 2009, or even 1989 - 2009 : In fact, it's not only Ten, but ..almost 15 or even 20 Years !

- Isn't it late enough ? Will History give to Europe more Time to waste ?

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    UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brownn's promise to French President Sarkozy that Great Britain will proceed to Lisbon Treaty's ratification was certainly fuelled further by MEPs' warning, meanwhile in Strasbourg, that all Enlargement stops until EU can have efficient Institutions for more than 27 member Countries.    

    EU Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert Poettering, formally announced this position, after consulting all Political Groups' Chairmen, Monday in Strasbourg, and most MEPs made the point crystal clear during Plenary Debates on Wednesday.   

     Thus, from Thursday, UK's House of Commons, at Westminster, gave its "Green Light" to Lisbon Treaty's ratification, which was completed later-on, after ovecoming some last minute attempts to block the process.

    - In only 3 other Member Countries we feel some "hesitations" : Poland, Czech Republic and Cyprus", said, meanwhile, EU Chairman-in-office, Slovenian Foreign Minister, Dr. Dimitri Ruppel, speaking to EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in Strasbourg, However, "I didn't hear any explicit refusal", he carefully added.

    Rupel's fears were later bellied in Cyprus' case, where a wide majority of political parties confirmed their support to the EU Treaty, but fears were confirmed in Poland's case, while Czechs said they waited for their Constitutional Court to pronounce itself.

    A paradox is that the Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who reportedly expressed concerns about Lisbon Treaty, had personally signed himself its blueprint, while, on the contrary, Cyprus' new President, Christofias, despite its own party's opposal, declared that he'll respect the signature of his precedessor, former President Tassos Papadopoulos, in favor of EU Treaty.

    But, "all that noise is a misinterpretations by some Western Media : Poland will ratify the EU Treaty, and even earlier than some other Member Countries", declared to "EuroFora", in a surprisingly optimistic tone, the Polish Chairman of EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Jacek Saryuswolski...

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