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ANGELA MERKEL AND Nicolas Sarkozy have announced their first bilateral meetings of 2012 in an attempt to smooth the way for eurozone reform.
The German chancellor and French president will hold talks in Berlin on January 9, ahead of a European Council meeting on January 30, the BBC reports.
Angela Merkel’s office said the leaders would use the meeting to “prepare for upcoming European appointments”. It is usual for Merkel and Sarkozy, whose countries account for a significant proportion of the euro-area economy, to meet with each other privately before wider summits.
The eurozone faces an ongoing crisis, with member countries due to repay around €157billion in debt in the first three months of the new year, the Economic Times reports.
Meanwhile, the UK-based Centre for Economics and Business Research has predicted with “60 per cent probability” that the eurozone will start to break up in 2012 – meaning at least one country will be forced to leave, according to the Daily Mail.
CEBR chief executive Professor Douglas McWilliams named Greece and Italy as the most likely candidates to separate from the eurozone.
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Same shit different year
Same shit smaller shovel
So am I getting this right, they are meeting yet again because the last meeting didnt come up with a real solution, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that?
I think you got it right there Falstaff
we had nearly a full week without those two in the same headline. It was a nice break. Maybe the break will have helped them grow some balls to stop the pussy-footing and make the tough decisions.
Angie loves Nicky..
I wish those two would realise the futility of what they are doing. Their words are meaningless and the markets don’t believe them. They need to take action.
HEAR HEAR me lady!
I’m slowly hating those two b*star*s more and more. What a bunch of arrogant pr*ks. Lets just bankrupt the by leaving the Eurozone and not paying them back.
Sure we only ow them 180billion, thats nothing compared to some other countries
That’s a very astute economic opinion
UK based, hmm.
Give them pistols and let them have a duel.
Ah yes, the Daily Mail! Bastion of unbiased thinking that it is, and what’s more, entirely free of any “little Englander” thinking whatsoever! (Yes, I’m being sarcastic!)
Sarkozy was probably visited by three ghosts and this time have a brilliant idea on how to save euro!
Class
starring bertie as the ghost of xmas past, enda as ghost of xmas present and gerry as the ghost of xmas future!!!
Very good Kevin.
in the eurozone of 100′s of millions people, 2 of them are going to meet to talk about our economic situation.
Good point brian.
Yep, the EU has 27 heads of government and yet every few weeks there are bilateral meetings between these two. I was very pro-Europe when the EU was an organisation of mutual co-operation, but they’re not even bothering to pretend it is anymore, and it’s not just the Irish government that are allowing this to happen.
Does anyone have a contact number for them…I’m looking for an emergency bailout after Christmas??
I wonder are they meeting just to make us feel like we have leaders who make decisions?
The amount of added time being played in this game would even embarrass Sir Alex
i just hope that people are diversifying their assets. staying in € for all your savings is not very good move.
diversify your portfolio.
have some in $,£ and swissy .
no one knows what’s going to happen but with diversification least you have some safety ..
and before anyone says “silver” or “gold” . I am sorry but you metals are going to get burned big time. metals will rise when everything will collapse. until the show is going on stay out of metals. my 2 cent
Blindly changing currency WILL cause euro to collapse. Anyone, who have any sort of savings worth of protecting rom currency collapse, should seek proper financial advice…
Can we please just leave the euro and cut the bs. How long more dancing around in circles. We can’t pay the debt so can everyone just accept it.
Urgent urgent has any body informed Enda as they will probably need a whopping boy to punish for our excesses over Christmas
Currency competition helps mitigate against politicans acting against the publics welfare.
http://www.mygovcost.org/2011/12/28/the-euro-in-retrospect/
They are going to bring in treaty changes i think cause the last one didn’t work, if they can do that then why can’t they bring in changes to benefit the people who end up paying for the mess, instead of subjecting us to austerity budgets for god only knows how long! If they are going to change the rules, why not change them in our favour!
Yawn
Ah the lawyer and the chemist will sort all of Europe’s economic problems. no need for anyone else to worry just fall in behind.
If any of the PIIGS Countries leave the euro the € currency will increase in value.
Yep and as much as I hate the use of the word PIIGS, an increase in the value of the € would be bad for the bigger economies at the moment when growth is sluggish and exports are low…it suits germany and france to have a low value.
Heard this enough in 2011. Action speaks louder than words. Sort it out now please. We need new headlines.
Watch out for these “think tanks”. They’re often just megaphones for some shady people who want to stay in the background.
There is just something really sexy about Merkel, her money!
We should just let Germany call the shots from now on as everybody else is
Stupid. It is the strong that lead that is the natural order.
Ah the lazy Latinos shouldn’t have got in anyway in the first place,to think Greece and Italy two of the greatest empires have sunk to this where did it all go wrong?
Greece and *Italy*???? No mention of little aul Ireland? Jaysus, there’s a surprise……
have your say