Some opinion makers here in Brussels and in some other
European capitals are taking advantage of the Italian election results to
openly express their dislike for the German political elite. It is amazing to
see important people coming out of hiding and placing the blame on the Germans for the
anti-EU feelings some voters are expressing left and right.
Today I got a mail
from the Executive Director of a leading Think Tank that keeps its doors open
because of generous funding received from the European Commission. The man was calling
my attention to an interview that a French TV had broadcast early in the morning.
In his opinion, the interviewee – a prominent Parisian economist – had been able
to explain that all this popular opposition to the EU had gained strength because the German
government had imposed austerity all over the place in Europe.
I watched the interview and was not convinced. Then I read a
few media pieces here and there attacking austerity. It is now very fashionable as a theme. I looked for alternative
suggestions but found no credible answer to the question. The only avenue that
made some sense was about a different policy approach to public financing by
the European Central Bank (ECB). The Bank should be more forthcoming with resources. But then one key question remained unanswered: how
to get the necessary consensus among the member states about the ECB change of
policy?
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