NOW ITALY SAYS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: MARIO MONTI HITS BACK AT MERKEL AND SARKOZY

Mario Monti has said Italy would becomes hostile to the EU if austerity continued

Wednesday January 11,2012

By Emily Fox for Express.co.uk

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ITALY will no longer want to be part of the eurozone if Sarkozy and Merkel continue with their pressure tactics, Italian Premier Mario Monti warned today

The Italian PM warned that his country would need to see more concrete support from both France and Germany in return for agreeing to painful austerity measures imposed by Merkel and Sarkozy.

Monti, who arrived in Berlin to meet with German chancellor Angela Merkel said that his country's reforms did not receive the recognition that they deserved.

He told German newspaper Die Welt: "Despite our sacrifices we do not experience any kind of concession by the EU, for example in the form of a cut in interest rates.

If the Italians do not see rewards for their willingness to save and reform, there will be protests in Italy against Europe

Italian Premier Mario Monti

He warned Italians could turn hostile toward Europe and Germany if they do not see that the austerity measures they have accepted lead to any progress in the country's financial situation.

Although Monti's government has adopted debt-cutting reforms, Italy's borrowing rates remain dangerously high.

He added: "If the Italians do not see concrete rewards for their willingness to save and reform, there will be protests in Italy against Europe and also against Germany which is seen as ringleader of EU intolerance and against the European Central Bank,"

taly is viewed as the most important country in the eurozone at the moment, in that if it falls there will be no recovery for Europe and it will bring down all other countries.

The ECB will hold its monthly monetary policy meeting on Thursday, but analysts do not expect it to cut interest rates - which would help a weak economy like Italy's - nor signal a more aggressive stance in its bond purchases.

Monti's meeting with Merkel is the latest in a series of talks between European leaders. The German leader met in Berlin on Monday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and on Tuesday evening with International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde. 

Merkel and Sarkozy also plan to travel to Italy on Jan. 20 before a European summit at the end of the month.

& Monti supposed to be a hardcore Europhile, the plot thickens....

‘IF CAMERON BLOCKS EU TREATY IT WILL BE ACT OF WAR’

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy want a new “fiscal compact”

Sunday January 8,2012

By Ted Jeory

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DAVID Cameron has three weeks to decide whether to bless a new eurozone treaty or use Britain’s veto and place the country in a “very grave position”, a senior observer warned last night.

Peter Ludlow, president of the ­European Strategy Forum think tank, said Germany and France are confident they will  secure a deal to save the long‑term future of the euro by the end of this month.

That would mean tougher financial rules for members of the eurozone and the use of existing EU institutions to enforce them, a move Mr Cameron has indicated is a step too far.

However, veteran EU analyst Mr Ludlow said one “very senior member” of the European Council had told him that if Britain were to try to block the deal it would be “tantamount to a declaration of war”.

He said: “If Cameron is stupid enough to try and block the use of the institutions it would be a very, very dramatic development which could only have grave consequences in terms of ­Britain’s own interests. It would be his nuclear weapon and that’s why all the messages I get from various people give the impression he will not do that.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy want a new “fiscal compact”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy want a new “fiscal compact” that commits countries to running a balanced budget. 

They want the rules enshrined in EU law so that sanctions can be ­levied on any member breaching them.

That would mean a bigger role for the European Court of Justice and un-elected European Commission, which would also have a larger say on the ­single market, not just matters relating to the euro. 

Mr Cameron said on Friday he would be against such a development but Mr Ludlow, who lectures around the world on EU affairs, told the Sunday Express: “The Germans and the French are absolutely serious.

“They are confident they can get the political agreement on this treaty by the end of this month and they will go ahead. I don’t think for a moment that Britain will join this scheme within 50 years, let alone five. However, I don’t think there is much that ­Cameron can do.

“I don’t think there is any intention of the ­Germans or French or anyone else of pushing Britain out of the EU but there is nevertheless a realistic assessment that the ­British may edge themselves out or at least redefine their position in such a basic way that they are to all intents and purposes in another category of membership.”

Mr Ludlow also questioned the description of Mr Cameron’s “veto” at talks in Brussels last month. He said: “He didn’t veto, the negotiations were terminated by his partners who could see he had no negotiating position.”

A leaked version of the draft fiscal compact reveals that countries will “agree on a stronger coordination of economic policies, involving an enhanced governance to foster fiscal discipline and deeper integration in the internal market as well as stronger growth”.

Would it also be an act of war if we left the EU? Or perhaps when they say act of war they mean our right to democracy?

DO WHAT WE WANT OR YOU'RE OUT! EU GIVES HUNGARY SHARP ULTIMATUM

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has come under pressure from the EU

Thursday January 12,2012

By Emily Fox for express.co.uk

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HUNGARY was given a sharp reminder of its position within the EU last night after the European Commission gave the country its final ultimatum.

The EU has threatened to withdraw any essential IMF aid to Hungary if it does not agree to change key methods in how the country is run. 

Hungary is currently facing the threat of legal action from the EU over its finances.

The unprecedented warning by the European Commission, the E.U.’s executive arm, came in response to the passage of a new constitution and a number of laws at the end of last year by the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. 

The PM removed checks and balances on the government in areas like central banking, the judiciary and the media and has also failed to act to control the country's deficit. 

Olli Rehn, the E.U. commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, warned that Hungary faced the possible suspension of valuable E.U. development assistance unless it did more to control its budget deficit. 

IMF Chief Christine Lagarde is set to meet with Hungarian minister Tamas Fellegi with a mandate for the country to accept stricter funding deals than Budapest originally wanted.

Analyst Attila Juhasz at think tank Political Capital said: "The EU Commission position shows that there will be no negotiations whatsoever about any kind of (financial) support as long as the Hungarian government fails to meet these requirements. "Trying to sell an about-face to his camp still looks like a more sensible option for Orban than entering an unpredictable situation with the country possibly becoming unable to finance itself by the spring."

The current struggle with Hungary comes at an inconvenient time for Europe with the IMF and EU leaders struggling to control the debt crisis. 

Hungary must roll over nearly 5 billion euros worth of external debt this year while its bond yields are stuck at over 9 percent. 

If only they'd say that to us...

PANTOMIME AS EUROCRATS SUE THEMSELVES...WITH OUR MONEY

David Cameron has supported an programme of austerity for EU countries

Friday January 13,2012

By Macer Hall

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SENIOR Eurocrats provoked ridicule last night by effectively suing themselves using taxpayers’ money in a row over a pay rise for Brussels civil servants.

In a move that could cost taxpayers millions of pounds, the European Commission wants to take the dispute to the European Court of Justice to secure a 1.7 per cent rise.

But it appeared last night that one arm of the EU was having to take legal action against the other. 

Martin Callanan, leader of the Tories in the European Parliament, said: “It’s clear the pantomime season is still in full swing. Now the EU is using our money to sue itself. The only certain winners will be lawyers and the only certain losers the taxpayers.” 

EU is using our money to sue itself. The only certain losers are the taxpayers

Martin Callanan, leader of the Tories in the European Parliament

The latest costly European case came after Britain and other EU nations refused to approve the pay hike proposed by the Commission. 

PM David Cameron and other leaders insisted that pay should be frozen to reflect the climate of austerity across Europe.

But the Commission yesterday insisted the bureaucrats were entitled to the money under EU regulations guaranteeing annual pay rises in line with the cost of living. It launched legal action against the EU Council, the body that represents the governments of Britain and other member states in Brussels.

UKIP.org - CAMERON ADMITS VETO IS NO SAFEGUARD

Friday, 6th January 2012

The Prime Minister has finally admitted that his 'veto' during the last Brussels summit has done absolutely nothing to protect British businesses and the UK's financial industry.

When challenged on what safeguards he had secured for the UK during an interview on Radio 4's Today programme this morning, David Cameron said: "What I stopped was that if you have a treaty within the framework of the European Union that didn't have safeguards on the single market and on financial services, Britain would have been in a worse position.

He continued: "I am not making some great claim to have achieved a safeguard but what I did do was stop a treaty without safeguards. Is that clear enough?"

In response to his comments Nigel Farage, UKIP Leader, said: "As the smokescreen starts to clear it becomes obvious that the so-called 'veto' is no more than a fudge which will anger the British public. 

"David Cameron has finally admitted that he has not achieved some great safeguard for British business - nothing has changed.

"It is also clear that he has no idea of the details of what is planned in Brussels for the new treaty, yet earlier this week the European Commission announced that both it and member states had forwarded proposed changes to the treaty.

"Cameron appears not to know this which shows he is totally out of the loop."

http://ukip.org/content/latest-news/2576-cameron-admits-veto-is-no-safeguard

DAVID CAMERON MAY STILL BAIL OUT EU

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have had their say on any possible EU Treaty

Monday January 9,2012

By Emily Fox for express.co.uk

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DAVID Cameron may still provide struggling eurozone nations with further handouts through the IMF, it was revealed today.

The Prime Minister, who has already approved a £10billion bailout fund in July has provoked further outrage among his MPs by not ruling out additional support. 

Mr Cameron said: "We have set out our conditions for contributing more to the IMF. We support countries and not currencies or currency zones. The IMF shouldn't be doing what the eurozone itself should be doing."

The PM is thought to be buckling under the pressure of some coalition members, including the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg who is an steadfast pro-European.

Mr Cameron acknowledged that his decision last month to wield the British veto to block a new treaty of all 27 EU member states has created a "pressure point" within the coalition government. 

Looks like the Tory Civil war could be back on!

BARONESS ASHTON £20M CASH ROW

EU foreign affairs chief Baroness Ashton

Tuesday January 10,2012

By Daily Express Reporter

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EU foreign affairs chief Baroness Ashton yesterday faced calls for her empire to be scrapped after it won an extra £20million of taxpayers’ cash for 2012.

The rise of just over five per cent, to £402million, for the European External Action Service will fuel criticism of fledgling EU diplomacy and Labour politician Lady Ashton’s role in running it.

Robert Oxley of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Taxpayers already fork out billions of pounds for the British Foreign Office. It’s absurd to ask them to pay twice by funding an EU version too.”

A prime example of the EU 'Gravy Train'.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/294668/Baroness-Ashton-20m-cash-row