Hartz IV for Everyone

BERLIN/BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Own report) – New records in German foreign trade are provoking massive international criticism of Berlin’s concentration on exports. According to reports, the German economy has achieved a foreign trade surplus of 20.4 billion Euros in September – a new record. It is estimated that for 2013, German companies’ exports will exceed by around 200 billion Euros the amount imported. That is the world’s highest national import-export gap. Protests are growing because many of the customer countries for German products thereby are driven into debt, as was the case in the crisis countries of the southern Euro zone. Other than the EU Commission threatening Berlin with an official reprimand, the US Secretary of Finances is accusing the German government of threatening the stability of the global economy. The IMF is also emphatically insisting that Germany rein in its export offensive. It is based on the low-wage policy, initiated by the SPD-Green government coalition – and continued by the CDU-SPD grand coalition – which provides a decisive competitive advantage to German industry. During those administrations, Germany was the sole EU nation with decreasing real wages.

EU Plans to Withhold Funds From Hungary

Hungary — quite possibly the next target of the German-dominated EU.

Hungary appears to be turning into the next Greece. The country has failed to reduce its deficit, and today the European Commission reacted. The executive arm of the European Union has announced a proposal to withhold from Hungary $655 million in EU development funds.

“The commission took a decision today to propose to partially suspend commitments of the EU Cohesion Fund for Hungary from January next year onwards because of non-compliance with the latest council recommendation in January to correct its excessive deficit,” said Olli Rehn, EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs.

This is the first time the European Commission has taken such an action against one of its members as punishment for an excessive deficit.

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Though EU officials portray today’s action as an encouragement rather than a punishment, the greater truth is that the European Union is now wielding tremendous power over nations that were formerly sovereign—especially those that are poorer. Expect Hungary’s sovereignty to fade away just as Greece’s has, and for EU authority to continue to strengthen.

Full article: EU Plans to Withhold Funds From Hungary (The Trumpet)