Western European News Digest

Italian Business Leader Calls for Italy To Leave the Euro

Jan. 12 (EIRNS)—The head of Confedilizia, an association of property owners, called for Italy to exit the euro system. Although Corrado Sforza Fogliani's arguments are wrong (he is in favor of competitive devaluation and budget cuts), his article, published in Il Giornale Jan. 11, is a rare example of guts in challenging the Lisbon Treaty dictatorship.

"On December 1st, the Lisbon Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union became effective. Italy (involved in a dismaying bordello-like gossip) barely realized it. And yet, it is a treaty which—ratified lightheartedly by our Parliament without direct or indirect involvement of the citizens—will strongly condition our future, our autonomy, and our behavior. The text, published by the official records of the European Union, weighs 1.980 kg, and is an inextricable hodgepodge of rules which delivers us even more over to the Brussels bureaucracy. The Luciferian 'ethical state' approach of this legislation is shocking. As the last straw, they even want to give us orders to make us slim down, to eat this, instead of that.

"In this situation, many are comforted by one single consideration: that among the many ... rules, ... the Lisbon Treaty did introduce one good thing: the legal possibility of unilateral secession. Which however presumes a maturity which is yet to come in our country."

The 'C' in Germany's 'CDU' Now Stands for 'Climate'

Jan. 16 (EIRNS)—For the last two days, the top executives of the German Christian Democrats held a conclave, to discuss a new party program and a new election campaign strategy. According to Hermann Gröhe, the party manager, a prominent aspect is the emphasis on the green agenda, because this is where the CDU intends to recruit new supporters. The Catholics—formerly a core constituency—will play a minor role in the future, if at all: Recently, they formed an inner-party organization of their own, the AEK (Working Group of Committed Catholics), because they feel neglected by the party hierarchy.

One can only conclude that the "C" now stands for "Climate," and global warming is the new religion.

On Jan. 15, the party executive passed a "Berlin Declaration," which states: "Germany is a driving force in worldwide protection of the climate. Our economy draws multiple benefits from its capacity for resource-saving production. German environmental technology meets a worldwide demand. We therefore hold on to our ambitious CO₂ reduction targets, in the interest of climate protection as well as of future-oriented jobs in our country. The successful work of our Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel has made international climate protection a worldwide trademark of German politics."

The declaration goes on stating that the Copenhagen Summit has increased the challenge to states to meet the CO₂ reduction targets, and that the follow-up climate conference in Bonn will be fully dedicated to achieve that.

IMF and Sweden Gang Up on Iceland

Jan. 15 (EIRNS)—The International Monetary Fund and European Union countries are ganging up on Iceland, with threats aimed at terrorizing the population into voting in favor of a $5 billion debt to support the Anglo-Dutch financial oligarchy.

Sweden in particular has taken a hard line against Iceland, demanding that its citizens vote in support of a bill calling for Iceland to take on the $5 billion loan at 5.5% interest, in order to pay British and Dutch depositors who lost their savings in the private Icelandic bank Icesave. If Icelanders don't support paying the Brits in their Feb. 20 referendum, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said, Sweden will not release the funds it promised as part of an IMF rescue package.

The IMF continues to act against its charter by refusing to disburse the funds of the rescue package it has agreed to, until Iceland pays up the $5 billion. The trick is that the IMF is not making this an official condition, but IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said, according to the Daily Telegraph, "If a lot of members think we have to hold on, we have to hold on"—apparently, in reference to the attempted extortion.

Food Price Speculation Attacked in Germany

Jan. 13 (EIRNS)—Shortly before the opening of the traditional Berlin "Green Week" on Jan. 8, the world's largest agricultural fair, German Farmers Union President Gerd Sonnleitner, in Berliner Zeitung today, attacked food price speculation. This clearly reflects the heat from the continuing demonstrations of dairy farmers, since Sonnleitner otherwise is much despised for his weak utterings.

The solutions he puts forward clearly are inadequate, but usefully, he singles out the speculative aspect. Huge price fluctuations are due to the fact, he says, that if you have a ship loaded with grain nowadays, its contents are sold 50 times while crossing the Atlantic. Any such financial deals, he proposes, should be strictly covered by the speculators' own capital, like other banking deals, i.e., no acceptance of leveraged, borrowed capital. "Thus, anybody who doesn't have the money can't buy the commodity. That would strongly decrease the flood of quick buying and selling."

Sonnleitner also attacked the low milk price, which bankrupts farmers, and the modus operandi of big trade chains, five of which in Germany use their position of power to dictate dairy pricing.

Good News on Nuclear Power from Germany

Jan. 16 (EIRNS)—According to today's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the inter-ministerial commission of the three Federal ministries, Foreign Affairs, Economics, and Developing Sector Relations, has okayed the request made by the French nuclear firm Areva for governmental Hermes export credit guarantees of more than EU1.3 billion for the completion of Brazil's Angra 3 nuclear power project. The German company KWU, together with Siemens, signed the original deal for Angra 3 with Brazil in 1975, and Areva, which now owns KWU through a joint venture with Siemens, wants to resume work on the project, now that Brazil has lifted the freeze that has been in place for almost 30 years. The budgeting commission of the German Bundestag still has to approve the decision. Germany itself has a policy of phasing out nuclear power altogether.