Why do they always say that ? - if the eurozone breaks up, the EU will not survive? The EU did just fine before the euro hit the scene.And check this out: "Without the EU,...Mr Rostowski predicted there could be a new war within a generation." So they give the EU all the credit for avoiding war on the European continent over the last 70 years. But correlation does not imply causation, does it? 70 years is really not a very long time, is it? The European peace of the last 70 years could more plausibly be attributed to the vibrant postwar economic environment, to the presence of a large, dangerous and nearby enemy (USSR) and to many other factors, rather than the Brussels bureaucracy. In a continent of free speech, one might be allowed to allege that Eurokrats would rather see half the Greek population destitute before they themselves might be forced to work to retirement rather than cash in on the pig trough stuffed with European sinecures. Let us please hope that this madness ends soon and that the populations of Europe begin to realize that it is just not sustainable.
About the E.U. ? I'm afraid that the only way we will see the end of the euro & the final flourish of the eu is through market forces! The members of that corrupt organisation will fight tooth & nail to protect their ivory towers. We will never see any united statement that they have failed only a continuing, pathetic stream of comments on european unity both politically & economically! Put this stinking corrupt organisation out of its misery & kill it dead!
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Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France held a conference call with George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister. Following the call, the three leaders insisted that Greece, which is still struggling to pay its debts, would not be forced to leave the single currency.
But beyond telling Greece to stick to the austerity measures imposed on it by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, the German and French leaders announced no new measures to support the eurozone.
Mr Sarkozy’s office last night said that he and Mrs Merkel had “informed the Greek prime minister of the importance attached to the strict and effective implementation of the recovery programme for the Greek economy”. The two leaders were “convinced that the future of Greece is in the eurozone,” the Élysée said.
Mr Papandreou stressed his government’s “absolute determination to take all necessary measures” to meet the country’s obligations.
In a separate statement issued in Athens, the Greek government insisted that “despite recent rumours, all parties stressed Greece will remain in the eurozone”.
The conference call was held amid mounting expectations that the single currency’s debt crisis will end in either break-up or a major step towards the fiscal integration of its members — a move that Germany has so far resisted.
Jacek Rostowski, the Polish finance minister, gave a bleak warning to the European Parliament yesterday, saying that if the eurozone was to “explode” then “the EU will not be able to survive”.
Despite Mr Papandreou’s assurances, many European politicians are increasingly angry at what they see as Greece’s failure to make progress on the programme of spending cuts demanded in exchange for bail-outs.
José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, yesterday said that he will soon set out plans for “eurobonds”, loans underwritten by all 17 euro members, to restore investors’ confidence in the currency.
But he said that even that move, which would be hugely controversial in Germany, would not be enough.
“We must be honest: this will not bring an immediate solution for all the problems we face,” he said.
He told the European Parliament: “This is a fight for the economic and political future of Europe. This is a fight for what Europe represents in the world.”
Mr Rostowski gave an even more stark warning, saying that the EU was on brink of destruction. “Europe is in danger,” he told MEPs. “If the eurozone breaks up, the EU will not be able to survive.”
Without the EU, a pillar of Europe’s security alongside Nato, Mr Rostowski predicted there could be a new war within a generation.
“If the eurozone were to disappear, to explode, then there is a risk,” he said. “A shock of that kind would lead to the demise of the whole European project and that could lead to a situation over a number of years, not immediately, when we are faced with great danger.” Despite last night’s Franco-German assurance, European politicians are still openly discussing Greece’s departure.
Peter Ramsauer, the German transport minister, told a newspaper yesterday that it would “not be the end of the world” if Greece were forced to exit the eurozone.
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