The Tragedy Of Greek Government Borrowing
This is a pretty tricky time to work for a Central Bank, don’t you think? You spend years in the background, the national and international economy chugs along, and people forget you exist. Perhaps once a month, when it is time to set interest rates, people remember faintly who you are and what you do. […]
Lithuania Slumps
This blog recently highlighted the trouble being faced by Latvia in this economic crisis. We all knew that Latvia was not the only country suffering and not the only Baltic country suffering. But todays news suggests that Lithuania is in even deeper trouble. Poor Lithuania… This story explains that the Lithuanian economy has falled by […]
Do European Governments Care About Innovation?
Your author has just returned from a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the Eureka Innovation Days event. I was invited as part of a media partnership with my employer. We were there to interview a range of participants which would then be used as the basis for both blog posts and more ‘traditional’ online […]
Is Latvia Heading For Shock Therapy?
Today’s European Voice (11/06/09) had a story suggesting that Latvia is in for shock therapy. This did not seem to be as seriously regarded in the paper as might be justified. In 2007, Canadian journalist Naomi Klein published “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise Of Disaster Capitalism”. In this extraordinary book, Klein argues that the influence […]
Unemployment In Spain Is Up
The latest unemployment figures from Spain must send a shock through the powers that be in most major economies. The latest numbers show that unemployment is up again in Spain. It has now breached 17%. Thats right, 17%. The BBC reports on it here. To be fair, Spain has a seasonal economy because of the […]
Small Business - The Real National Economy
Last week I was able to sit in on a meeting with a couple of highly placed European Commission officials. We were discussing what will soon become known as the SBA - the Small Business Act. 2009 will be a year of many events and publicity for this new piece of EU legislation. Now I […]
Notes From Felipe Gonzalez’s Lecture In Brussels
One of the problems with blogging is the speed at which communications can now be transmitted. I know that this is meant to be the major strength of blogging - but if you happen to busy, it simply makes you look slow! This time last week I was fortunate enough to attend a one hour […]