Nissan to lay off thousands of workers as sales drop    Trump picks Susan Wiles as White House chief of staff    Three charged in connection with Liam Payne's death    Israel passes law to deport relatives of attackers, including citizens    Monkey mayhem in South Carolina after 43 primates escape research facility    Russian anti-war teenager faces five years in jail after failed appeal    Uproar in Ghana after president unveils his own statue    BD and INS partner to elevate standards of infusion care in MENAT    Qassim emir launches 52 health projects costing a total of SR456 million    Dubai Design Week launches its 10th edition, celebrating creativity and innovation    Fakeeh Care Group reports 9M-2024 net profit of SR195.3 million, up 49% y-o-y driven by solid revenue growth and robust profitability    GASTAT: Passengers of public transport bus and train soar 176% and 33% respectively in 2023    HRT does not impact life expectancy — UK health body    Liam Payne's body to be flown back to the UK    Arab leaders and heads of state congratulate US President-elect Donald Trump    Neymar suffers muscle tear, out for 4-6 weeks    Suspect arrested for banking fraud totaling SR493 million as Nazaha pursues corruption charges    Al Nassr secures 5-1 victory over Al Ain to edge closer to knockout stage    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Eurozone faces policy overhaul
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 27 - 12 - 2010

PARIS: Eurozone leaders have mobilized money and rhetoric to fight a debt crisis, but the fate of the alliance could now depend on a willingness to transform speeches and stopgap measures into a deep policy overhaul.
There is a growing conviction in European financial circles that the malaise afflicting the eurozone lies beyond the reach of multi-billion-euro bailouts, of the sort accorded Greece and Ireland and for which Portugal and Spain may yet have to apply.
But eurozone authorities have hardly been idle in the face of the turmoil. In fact, in the last year they have taken steps that could radically alter the eurozone's underlying financial architecture.
Three potential routes to economic stability have emerged: a permanent rescue fund for troubled euro nations; a common eurozone bond that would allow financially weak members to pool their credit standing with stronger nations; and the creation of a federal, fiscal transfer union. The latter approach would imply a degree of federal tax management and the transfer of funds from the strong to the weak in what would resemble the federal structure of the United States.
What is striking to many observers, however, is that initiatives such as emergency bailouts, spurned a year ago, have now become institutionalized.
A European Union summit earlier this month decided to create a permanent financial rescue mechanism for ailing euro nations starting in mid-2013.
That arrangement would replace a 750-billion-euro ($1 trillion) emergency fund established by the EU and the International Monetary Fund in May.
The European Central Bank, known as the guardian of the euro, has meanwhile broken with its preferred practice and since mid-May has been stepping in to buy eurozone government bonds worth 72.5 billion euros.
That has helped ensure that debt markets keep functioning, but it has also stoked controversy, with critics insisting that the ECB should not be in the business of financing deficits run up by improvident euro governments.
In another groundbreaking step, eurozone leaders have overcome their sovereign sensitivities and agreed to submit their draft budgets to the European Union for review. Greece and Ireland are having their economic policies and finances vetted and approved by the IMF. While many analysts are dismissive of the measures, eurozone officials insist they contain the seeds of far-reaching operational reform that could at last impose the discipline the bloc needs if it is to survive future recessions.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at the recent EU summit, said that while “it is important to have stable budgets and stable finances” in the eurozone, “it is important to develop, step by step, ... a common economic policy.”
French President Nicholas Sarkozy, speaking at the same summit, said “it is now necessary to go further and to make clear in the eurozone the need for the convergence of economic policies.” The priority in the new year would be “the establishment of an economic government” for the zone, he said. Sarkozy's finance minister, Christine Lagarde, last week appeared to fine-tune the president's comments, telling a German newspaper that “an economic government means seeking the approval of other states” before taking action.
But her remarks drew an immediate and negative response from German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle, which suggests that the eurozone's two leading powers remain at odds over precisely what common economic governance entails.
Bruedele described the idea as “not a good plan,” calling instead for a “permanent protection mechanism for the single currency” and sanctions against eurozone members who failed to exercise budget restraint. For many analysts however, there is a more serious split in the eurozone. This one divides nations such as Germany, with productive economies powered by substantial savings and trade surpluses, from those considered to be on the “periphery” – Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Greece – that are less disciplined and have run up massive debts and deficits.
– Agence France


Clic here to read the story from its source.