Spain: difficult times and the people´s response

Life is today more challenging for many Spaniards. These have been difficult years and a long period of painful adjustment processes. But it is also amazing to see how people have accepted the changes and how they are trying to cope with lower levels of income and higher levels of unemployment. That does not mean they have accepted the new situation. But they have kept a very healthy level of pragmatism. 

EU Leaders neglect job promotion issues

In my opinion column of yesterday in the Portuguese weekly magazine Visao , I concluded that the only way in the European Union to bring confidence back is through lower unemployment rates. 

The European citizens perceive the leaders as too concerned with the survival of the banks, the austerity measures and the usual power games. They do not see the same level of political energy being invested in promoting jobs, attracting investment and expanding exports. For the citizen on the street, the politicians seem to be disconnected from the ordinary person. This translates into a crisis of confidence in the political classes. In many countries, the credibility of the political leaders is rather comparable to a used car vendor’s image. 

If there is no improvement in the job market, the leaders’credibility will remain low. If I were in charge, I would spend most of my time looking for sustainable solutions to the unemployment issue. And I would certainly start by focussing my attention on the exchange value of the Euro. A strong Euro is an important contributing factor for continued job losses.