German politicians and media are intensifying pressure on Rome in anticipation of today’s EU Commission verdict on Italy’s national budget. Already last week, EU Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger announced, in reference to the Italian deficit, that the Italian government must “correct” its draft budget. Media reports refer to a “black week” for Rome. Negative reporting – like rating agencies’ devaluation of Italy’s creditworthiness – can contribute to the destabilization of Italy’s financial and credit markets. The country’s current downward spiral threatens to re-escalate the banking crisis. Whereas Berlin insists that the EU take sharp measures against deficits, Germany’s Finance Minister at the time, Wolfgang Schäuble had prevented the EU Commission from taking measures against excessive surpluses, which the commission sees as potentially just as destabilizing. Germany has been achieving these surpluses year after year.
Inequality
Chien-Huei Wu and Ching-Fu Lin: Taiwan and the Myth of UN Resolution 2758
Why has the UN shut the door on Taiwan, the most democratic country in Asia? Why are citizens of Taiwan not even allowed to enter the premises of the United Nations? Read Here Ank Kumar/Wikimedia Commons
Economics
Kateryna Serohina: ‘Trump’s plan’ for partnership with Ukraine: Telegraph reveals text of agreement from US
The text of the partnership agreement with Ukraine provided by the US suggests an attempt by the US to take control of half of the country’s natural resources. The proposed contract is seen as an […]
EU politics
Fidaa Al Zaanin: Germany Believes in Free Speech, but Not for Palestinians
This month, Palestinians mark the Nakba, the wave of ethnic cleansing that began their decades of displacement. But in Germany, trumped-up antisemitism allegations are being used to suppress the commemorations — showing that speech isn’t […]
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