Europe’s hidden political crisis: Internal Eurozone disagreements over Greece could have deep-seated implications – CNBC Comment The Eurozone economy may be showing signs of strength this year, thanks in part to the European Central Bank’s (ECB) massive bond-buying programme but, politically, Europe is struggling. And we can thank Greece for that. ECONOMIC BOOST The forecast for GDP growth for Europe is much stronger this year than it was in 2014 [...]
French President François Hollande calls for a Eurozone parliament with a shared budget French President François Hollande wants to see a new parliament and a shared budget for Eurozone countries. Writing in Le Journal Du Dimanche, a French Sunday paper, Hollande said: Europe has let its institutions weaken and the 28 governments struggle to agree to move forward. [National] parliaments remain too far from decisions. And the peoples [...]
French interior minister names possible suspect as man is decapitated in suspected Islamist terror attack on St-Quentin-Fallavier factory outside Grenoble The French interior minister has named the possible suspect behind an terror attack on a factory in L'Isle-d'Abeau, on the outskirts of St-Quentin-Fallavier, near Grenoble in south east France, as reports emerged that a second person had been arrested over the attack. Bernard Cazeneuve said that while his identity had not yet been confirmed, it was [...]
Leaders in late night Greek debt talks fail to break deal deadlock June 1, 2015 German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other high-ranking officials met in Berlin late last night to discuss the prospect of a deal for Greece. The country faces a slew of hefty payments in the coming weeks and a real prospect of defaulting on its debt if it is unable to secure a reforms-for-cash deal with creditors [...]
French minister Ségolène Royal rebukes George Osborne’s “spiteful” mockery of Hollande’s economy March 24, 2015 During last week's Budget, George Osborne's jokes at France's expense played well in the chamber of the House of Commons – at least among Tory MPs. The chancellor mocked the opposition for wanting to emulate the French economic model in operation under Francois Hollande. France is beset with high unemployment and low growth and has struggled [...]
Francois Hollande wants tech firms to be sanctioned as “accomplices” to hate speech January 28, 2015 President Francois Hollande has outlined some bold plans to penalise tech firms if they fail to tackle hate speech. The French President has called for a framework of sanctions that would hit companies like Facebook and Twitter for hosting extremist material such as racially hateful statements that are illegal in France. "We must act at [...]
Video: French President François Hollande at Davos January 23, 2015 In the wake of the three days of terrorist attacks in Paris, President François Hollande's approval rating has risen – but his next challenge will be to keep France's economic growth – currently predicted by the European Commission to stop at an anaemic 0.7 per cent in 2015 – on track in the face of [...]
Francois Hollande tells Greece to keep its promises to stay in the Eurozone January 5, 2015 French President Francois Hollande has sent Greece a word of warning today, telling a French radio station: "The Greeks are free to choose their own destiny. But, having said that, there are certain engagements that have been made and all those must be of course respected". Greece is once again facing political turmoil with Europe's [...]
French unemployment edges higher adding to Hollande’s woes September 4, 2014 The unemployment rate in France has edged higher in another blow to President Hollande’s efforts to reduce jobless rates- one of a variety of economic woes for the French leader. 10.2 per cent of the French population were out of work in the second quarter of this year, compared to 10.1 per cent in the [...]
Hollande calls for growth summit amid political turmoil August 28, 2014 French President Francois Hollande has appealed for a Eurozone growth summit to get to grips with the currency block's economic stagnation and high unemployment. The embattled President warned an audience of ambassadors in Paris that “Europe is threatened by a long and possibly interminable stagnation if we do nothing.” Hollande called on European leaders to [...]