Surveys
EU leaders in Brussels have just agreed on the final form of a severe “fiscal compact” (exempting the Czech Republic and the UK). The hope is to bring the EU’s most indebted nations back into line. Will this put Europe back on track?
The aim of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is to put international standards in place for enforcing intellectual property rights, to combat piracy. Should the European Community ratify the legislation?
Nine Eurozone countries have had their credit ratings downgraded, sparking talks of a deeper financial crisis. Do the ratings agencies have too much power?
The EU, like the USA, has agreed severe sanctions over Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme. In response, Tehran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz could disrupt one fifth of global oil shipments. Are the EU sanctions expedient?
The proposed new EU treaty aims to strengthen the markets’ confidence in the Euro, but at the expense of some of the European Parliament’s powers. Is this the right path to follow?
The EU intends to fund the “Europe for Citizens” programme that not only supports future partnerships between cities, but also the remembrance of Europe’s past, to the tune of some 229 million Euros. Is this seen as throwing money down the drain?
At the latest EU summit, all member states apart from the UK agreed to a new fiscal compact. Will this agreement to enforce budget rules more strictly help overcome the current euro crisis?
France, Germany and other EU states want eurozone members to sign up to a tough new system of budget rules and restrictions. Is this the right way forward?
After Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, the American agency Moody's put France, Austria and Finland under observation. Do you think an American credit rating agency is really the best judge when it comes to the finances of these European countries?
A series of murders by a group of rightwing radicals in Germany has triggered fresh calls to ban the far right NPD party. Should European countries try to outlaw extremist parties?
