The new Greek government of the leftist party SYRIZA wanted to take back austerity reforms in order to, for example, “gradually restore salaries and pensions so as to increase consumption and demand”. But it seems that the only thing accepted by the European Commission and eurozone finance ministers is 4-month extension of the bailout in return for presenting a list of reforms that Greece had committed to undertake.
Nominants of Syriza haven’t even settled comfortably in their key chairs in the new Greek government yet and new prime minister together with finance minister have already made their first compromise and step back from their pre-electoral promises. They refrained form talking about the debt write-off, started talking about restructurization of debt and went on a European tour to find out from creditors which particular forms of restructurization could be acceptable.
We should open our minds to the notion of individual responsibility and entrepreneurship. We have to take responsibility and the costs of our mistakes. The recipe for growth is no technocratic engineering. Growth goes through entrepreneurship, mistakes, reactions to mistakes and risk-taking. These elements are critical.
Did we see only Pyrrhic victories or a real overturn in the crisis last year? Greeks remain the worst pupil in the class, Spaniards pretend that nothing bad is happening, Cyprus is not interested and French exodus continues.
On October 9, 2012 INESS with support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the National Union of Employers organized international conference under the title Cutting Deficits, which was a continuation of INESS’ annual traditional conference devoted to public finances. Two panels with seven speakers from four European countries took place in a Park Inn Danube hotel in Bratislava. The speakers answered in various ways the main question of the conference – Is it possible…
Right from the start of the Great Recession the current account deficit shrunk with 62% in 2009, got to the relatively low level of 376 million euro in 2010 (around 1% of GDP) and turned into surplus of 361 million euro (close to 1% of GDP) in 2011. By doing so, all experts, who continuously scared the people with this “huge current account deficit”, which we were suppose to believe was extremely dangerous for our…
Two years ago, here in Wrocław [at Wrocław Global Forum], you called United States and Europe “G2 of the world” and today you referred to them as “catamaran on stormy waters”, so I was wondering if you think that we can observe serious, permanent shift of power in contemporary world or just this storm that is going to pass? Well, I hope it’s a storm that is going to pass and I hope that we…
In response to the on-going financial crisis in the euro zone, LFMI, a leading economic policy think-tank in Lithuania, has worked out and submitted to responsible institutions a plan which would help countries exiting the euro zone to build stable and sound money. LFMI‘s proposal can be also used by the euro zone when attempting to strengthen the euro and to restore people‘s confidence in the single currency. The persisting crisis of euro zone state…
About the Greeks beating German-looking pensioners and Greek members of parliament playing black metal, while Merkel is happy to gamble with their lives. About fiscal pact, which is good in one country and bad in another one, about reducing debt with the help of magic and about American budgetary hockey game, which ended 99:0. After 3 000 years Greeks have improved the art of drama to the level of perfection. After practically nobody happened to agree…
Institute for Market Economics Cordially invites you to a press conference Jobs During Crisis: A Flexible Approach To Labor Market Regulations The Institute for Market Economics (IME) will present its view on the performance of the economy, putting the focus on the labor market and the job creation in a time of crisis. The following questions will be discussed: Are Bulgaria and the EU facing a new recession? How is employment developing in…
