Barroso spends time in Portugal

Barroso delivered a very interesting speech yesterday in Lisbon. The link to the Portuguese language version of it is the folloowing:

http://ec.europa.eu/portugal/comissao/destaques/20130104_discurso_presidente_fund_champalimaud_pt.htm

Addressing the annual "Diplomatic Seminar", the EU Commission President discussed a number of "erroneous" myths about Europe. In his opinion, the truth is: 1-The current crisis did not start in Europe; 2- Europe is not the sick region of the world; 3- The Euro (currency) is not the cause of the crisis; 4- The EU institutions did provide proposals and ideas to overcome the crisis; 5- There has been solidarity among the European states; 6- Austerity is needed where there is a serious deficit of public accounts.

His participation in the seminar carried a lot of political meaning in a highly politicized environment such as the one prevailing now in Portugal. It shows he is particularly interested in being perceived as a critical national political actor at a time of uncertainty about the future of the current government. He would like to be seen as   a potential "saviour"...Furthermore, his presence side by side with the Foreign Minister, who is not fully aligned with the policies of Prime Minister Passos Coelho, has been considered as giving leverage to minority voices within the government. Particularly if one takes into account that he said that adjustment programmes should be implemented with common sense, not just with determination, and be accompanied by dialogue among all the social actors and good communication packages...These are things that the government has been accused of not paying enough attention to. Now, Barroso seems to have joined the band wagon...

Passos Coelho would certainly have preferred to see the EU President in Brussels. Or the man is back in Lisbon next week again. For another keynote speech.victorangeloblogs.sapo.pt

Les drones

The circus is still on break

Brussels remains a quiet city today. The European bureaucrats, the extravagant members of the European parliament, the lobbyists, the hacks and other media types, even the spooks, and the numerous stagiaires that keep many talk shops open, everybody is still out of town, trying to get used to the new year.

I like it. The only people who complain are the taxi drivers, the bar and restaurant owners in the European district, and a few girls and boys here and there. 

Prejudices

Copyright V.Angelo

Different approaches are welcome as long as they sustain a common project. 

We cannot fall into the trap that sees some Europeans as just part of the decoration and little less. Some people in Brussels and in some Northern capitals are again tempted to look at nations from that perspective. We all know that arrogance and contempt have filled the history of Europe with wars and pain.

Sovereign nightmares

The New Year brings back the sovereign debt question as the most urgent issue for the EU member States. Now that it is clear that Greece and Ireland have reached unsustainable levels of debt, all the attentions are moving to Portugal. On Wednesday next week, Lisbon will be again in the market to try to place Treasury paper. There is deep anxiety in Brussels and other capitals about the investors' response to that move.

The Portuguese government has shown they prefer to pay very high rates of interest to making use of the EU/IMF financial facility. This option is politically expedient in the short run. It delays the moment for hard decisions, particularly at a time when the presidential elections are around the corner, on 23 January, and the government's candidate is lagging behind in the polls. But, sooner or later, the moment of truth will come. The poor performance of the country's economy will then hit the wall.

In support of the European project

Both Chancellor Merkel's and President Sarkozy's New Year messages had strong words in support of the European project. They should be acknowledged. This is what I call leadership. It is important to set the path, particularly at times of confusion and hesitation.

Towering towards 2011

Copyright V.Angelo

Hymn to the imagination, and happy New Year.

The rule of the Kremlin

I am not sure the Kremlin realises the damaging impact of Mikhail Khodorkovsky's farcical trial on Western European views of present-day Russia. The fact of the matter is that there is little trust left on rule of law in Russia.

It is the rule of Putin that matters, this is how the European citizen sees the situation. And many think that investing in Russia is too hazardous, be it about investing money or political trust.

I have written in the recent past some optimistic pieces about Russia. I am one of those who believes in deepening the engagement. But today's incomprehensible court decision is a major hurdle.

Chad on its own

This evening I had a brief discussion with the Chadian leadership. They think the international community is not doing enough to assist the country on the road to peace and progress. They also believe Chad has been a barrier against the expansion of religious fundamentalism in the Sahel but that role is not fully appreciated by the key donor countries in the West.

Chad is again at a critical juncture, with the situation in South Sudan having an impact on the fragile relations between Chadians, Northerners and Southerners. Furthermore, the country is preparing for presidential and parliamentary elections, which should take place within the first semester of 2011. The preparatory work is of poor quality and nobody seems to link that with the potential for troubles down the line. On top of everything, one cannot forget that the democratisation process is still an infant.

The donors are not properly represented in N'Djaména and the dialogue between them and the government is not productive. There has been no real dialogue with Brussels either.

France, the key Western partner, has been without a proper ambassador for several months. The outgoing envoy said good bye at the beginning of summer and then, after a short while in Paris, came back, in a very strange diplomatic situation. He is around but as a weakened player.

The EC has been represented by someone who has little sense of diplomacy and a very unique way of looking at strategy. He was supposed to leave long back, but has delayed his departure. He is not happy with the parking lot that waits for him in Brussels. And the new lady keeps waiting somewhere in the clouds of EU bureaucracy.

The US had a good ambassador in N'Djaména. But he has been sick since the beginning of the year. The new ambassador has only recently been confirmed. The interim chargé d'affaires did a good job, but it is not the same as being the susbtantive head of mission.

And that's very much it, on the side of Western missions in Chad.

The question is then obvious: Are we sure we have our African priorities right?

Empty offices and good food

In the European quarters of Brussels, this is the quietest week of the year. The Eurocrats, the MEPs, the media pack, the lobby crowd, all have left their offices and the city.

On the NATO side, the war is also closed. I trust they have sent a note of information to the enemy.

Those who remain behind, the few people around the European offices, are very focused. Where to find a fine traiteur that sells good lobster, some would ask, whilst the rest are just getting ready for an expensive evening out on Friday.