Merkel’s Dispassionate Approach to the Euro Crisis

By Konstantin von Hammerstein and René Pfister – For three years now, the euro crisis has been smoldering. It has brought down governments in Ireland and Spain, in Italy and Slovenia, and has led to countless summit meetings in Brussels, at which first a temporary and then a permanent bailout fund was established.

European leaders will meet in the Belgian capital once again this Thursday and Friday, at what is expected to be the year’s most important summit. The agenda consists of nothing less than the political realignment of the euro zone and the question of whether members can agree to a European banking union to save the Continent’s ailing banks.

In the midst of it all, as always, is German Chancellor Angela Merkel. more> http://tinyurl.com/avjufos

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Merkel says exit from euro crisis to take at least five years

AFP/Google – “We have to hold our breath for five years or more,” Merkel told the regional party congress of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at Sternberg in east Germany, the DPA news agency reported.

“A lot of investors do not believe that we can keep our promises in Europe,” she said, adding: “We must demonstrate rigour in order to convince the world that it is profitable to invest in Europe.” more> http://tinyurl.com/d457kws

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Bank debt possibilities left open by Merkel’s ambiguity

By John McManus – SO NEAR, yet so far. Just when a transformational deal on Ireland’s historic bank debts was within our grasp, the German chancellor seems to have dashed our hopes.

Or has she?

Finding a Germany-friendly way to deal with the other €30 billion odd of bank-related debt is a little trickier. This is pure Irish sovereign debt, even though the money was ploughed into AIB, Bank of Ireland and Irish Permanent as equity to shore up their capital.

The plan here seems to be for the new rescue fund to take equity stakes in the so-called pillar banks. The Government would then use the cash to repay sovereign debt. more> http://tinyurl.com/9vckvkq

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Merkel raises new hurdles on EU bank union

By Angelika Stricker and Luke Baker – German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised new hurdles on Friday (Oct 19) to using the euro zone‘s rescue fund to inject capital directly into ailing banks from next year, dashing Spain’s hopes of soon removing the cost from its strained national debt. more> http://tinyurl.com/8phpx73

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German court backs euro rescue fund with conditions

By Annika Breidthardt and Diana Niedernhoefer – Germany‘s Constitutional Court gave a green light on Wednesday (Sep 12) for the country to ratify the euro zone‘s new bailout fund and budget pact, but insisted the German parliament have veto powers over any future increases in the size of the fund.

Germany is the only country in the 17-nation euro zone that has yet to ratify the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), which is meant to erect a 700 billion-euro firewall against the spread of the three-year-old sovereign debt crisis.

“This is a good day for Germany and a good day for Europe,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech to parliament. more> http://tinyurl.com/9dtmhwv

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