Fact check: Does Europe Greece save - or only the banks?

With many Germans the judgement is clear over the Greeks: They would have lived for many years over their conditions and all kinds of social blessings would have afforded, without drawing in the appropriate taxes. The mixture from corruption and wasting could go in the long term not well, is called it in this country. At their economic misery they from there are debt.

The fact that the Greek government revolts now against the agreed upon savings editions is seen as indication of the ingratitude. But many Greeks do not see the benefits of shortened pensions and dismissed state employees. While unemployment sinks in Europe again (on the average on eleven percent), amounts to it in Greece further 26 percent, that is the highest level within the euro zone.

We cannot untangle the many aspects of the Greece crisis here, but we can brush the problem on the basis an example one-time against the German line. The Greek Minister of Finance Giannis Varoufakis compares the Troika cure with “CIA torture”, the enforcement of the savings editions with a “fiscal Waterboarding”. Understandably infuriates in Germany, and we hold out to it, Greece become not with water shower, but with money.

Quite Athens-critical “Handelsblatt” judged “the true reasons of the Greek tragedy” once similarly: In the long run national rescue operations meant for the financial sector that the risks, which dozed in the balances of the private banks were accepted by the state.

The result: From to in the middle of 2013 to Greece flowed the scarcely 207 billion euros well 77 percent (58.2 billion for bank recapitalizing) or indirectly (101.3 billion for creditors of the Greek state) to the financial sector flowed directly. For the national budget remained from the rescue programs less than a quarter.

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Piketty: "The greatest inequality causes unemployment"

Begins to be getting tired of the nickname of rock star that he attributed the American media when he traveled to that country to present their book -the capital in the twenty-first century-. But it is hard to imagine any other european economist that lead the lists of sales with a academic work that is so deeply and causing similar euphoria wherever he goes. "In reality, the success of the book reveals the need for greater democratization of the economic debate, to allow the people form their opinion and to incorporate this debate the issues that really matter to the people," says Thomas Piketty (Clichy, 1971). A success not exempt from severe criticism from the more important international media. "The truth is that the same people who have criticized my work have given me a prize for best book of the year. I couldn't ask for more," he says with a smile.

The French author has visited Madrid this week, to promote the Spanish edition of his book, with an agenda really media star. There were no minutes or hollow enough in the day to handle the volume of requests for workshops, meetings and interviews of all types that had raised their visit, which has reserved a hollow stressed the political world. Not in vain, he was an adviser to the campaign of the socialist candidate Segolene Royal in the elections to the presidency of France in 2007. Has been the own Piketty who had an interest in meeting with those responsible for We Can during his visit to Madrid to prevent its discussion with the secretary general of the PSOE, Pedro Sanchez, were interpreted as an adherence to the tenets of the Spanish socialists. "I like listening to all the proposals. I would have liked to meet with someone from the Government, but have shown no interest," he explains.

The French economist argues that throughout history, and even more in recent years, the performance of capital has been higher than the growth of the economy and that, therefore, those who initially had that capital - in the form of real estate, inheritance or heritage- benefited the most of the growth that those who depended on their work. A mathematical formula that has been revealed in all its starkness with the crisis and that has aroused the anger of the middle classes, who feel the pagan of the crisis, hard hit by the austerity policies, the cut of the services and tax hikes but that in practice it is not so simple. "It is true that the case of Europe is not exactly the same as that of the United States. The movement we are 99% makes more sense there, or in places such as London, because the weight of the financial sector and capital in the economy is much greater. In Europe, the largest source of inequality comes from the unemployment," admits the economist.

Piketty published its work [originally in French in 2013] just when it began to see some light at the end of the crisis, and when the data began to reflect levels of income disparity between the more developed countries not seen since the end of the First World War. The debate on inequality already started to take force in the United States and was, precisely, the enormous impact of his book in that country, already in 2014, the one who shot the popularity of Piketty and the enormous popularity of his work. "I am even more surprised by the reception that has had the book in China or Korea, it really has impressed me," she admits.

Also the professor of the Paris School of Economics is especially critical with the handling of the crisis in Europe, from the austerity policies applied to the modification of the European Treaties adopted in 2012 and tax competition between the countries of the eurozone that has revealed the scandal of the Luxleaks. "If the whole world do what you have done Luxembourg and virtually eliminates the taxation of large companies, the whole of Europe will become a tax haven," he stressed. "I think that we should move toward a greater tax cooperation, as a first step, starting with the harmonization of business taxation", defends. Even more. "The policies of austerity, the commitment to reduce the deficit to full speed, the increase in unemployment and the absence of inflation also makes it much more difficult to get out of the crisis," Renata.

Despite what the European experience demonstrates, Piketty is optimistic about the possibility of a greater tax coordination in the region and believes that with incentives or sanctions appropriate changes are possible. "Didn't seem to able to put an end to the Swiss banking secrecy and today that is a reality. United States imposed sanctions on the swiss banks that had contributed to hide tax information of its citizens and the bank secrecy is over," he recalls. "The things you can always change".

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New military doctrines: NATO and Ukraine are now of Putin largest enemies

Moscow - Russia has new military doctrines: Head of state Wladimir Putin signed the document on Friday, as Russian media announced. The valid doctrines designated in particular extremism and terrorism as dangers for the country, external threats played against it so far no large role.

Thus Russia classifies the conflict in Ukraine and the NATO extension to the East as danger for own security. The North Atlantic alliance strengthened and installs its “attack capacities” at the borders to Russia a “global system of the anti-missile defense”, is called it in the document.

The national security council published a report to the changes on its web page on Friday. Therein it, the again-calm doctrines means also a reaction to the situation is in the north of Africa, in Syria, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. “Prominent states” of the world - meant are probably all in front the USA - see themselves to the reproach suspended to threaten independent states with a variety at instruments in order to implement own interests. Thus private military services were used, the protest potential of the population was heated up or radical and extremist organizations were promoted, in order to implement own goals to other states.

Part the Russian military doctrines remains further the “atomic deterrence”. Moscow reserves itself the right to begin with an attack on the own territory or on allied one as well as with a threat for “continuing the State of” nuclear weapons. As largest internal risks the paper calls among other things the activities of terrorists.

Still the day before the Russian minister of foreign affairs had again accused Sergej Lawrow of Ukraine to endanger with their effort around a NATO membership security in Europe. The west again uses the steps of the government in Kiev, in order to heat the conflict up between Russia and Ukraine, said Lawrow.

The president had already outlined on 10 September at a meeting of the military military commissionmilitary commission in the Kremlin, on which basic idea the new doctrines were based. , Putin said the USA, on one side of the agreement about an anti-missile defense stepped out and worked on a new defense system in space. NATO strengthens its forces in Eastern Europe. The “crisis in the Ukraine, provokes and production of some our western partners”, requires an answer “for the security of our country”, so the head of state.

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Ukraine crisis: Kiev corrects message over cessation of hostilities

First the government announced it in Kiev, a permanent cessation of hostilities with Russia agreed upon. Now only the speech is from a fire break. Moscow disclaims anyway: It gave only an approach.

Kiev - the Ukrainian presidential administration reduced a report clearly to the cessation of hostilities in the conflict area Donbass with a correction. The authority painted the additive “permanently” and informed only from an agreed upon “regime of the fire break”, as was to be seen on Wednesday on the web page of the presidential office.

Before from a permanent weapon peace the speech had been. A Kremlin spokesman disclaimed this message a scarce hour later. Russia cannot make such agreements, because it is not a conflict party, said Dmitrij Peskow of the state State of Ria Nowosti. He said at the same time however, Putin and Ukrainian president Petro Poroschenko would have discussed the necessary steps, so that there could be a cessation of hostilities. Before the spokesman had explained, those presidents of both sides would have telephoned and were itself over the possible ways out of the crisis “to a large extent united”. In their discussion they would have advised over necessary first steps for the completion of the bloodshed in the southeast. The message Poroschenkos surprised, because Russia had always stressed so far that it concerns with the crisis in east Ukraine a domestic conflict of the ex-Soviet republic. If Putin should have actually agreed upon a cessation of hostilities with Poroschenko, this would be the first official confession of a Russian participation in the fighting. The conflict had still intensified in the past days. The Ukrainian government accuses Moscow, more and more to soldiers into the region fancy, in order to support the per-Russian separatists. Also NATO sees this in such a way - and assumes Kiev loses the fights in east Ukraine. Moscow rejects the reproaches. A meeting of Putin with Poroschenko in the Byelorussian capital Minsk in the past week had brought first no break-through.

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Russia in the Ukraine crisis: Of Putin lies

For Wladimir Putin the case is clear: The Ukrainian army encircles cities in the east of the country, kills aimed civilians and devastates the infrastructure. The problem: Of Russia president rotates consistently the facts.

The Donbass seemed for of Russia presidents last far away. Wladimir Putin had traveled deeply to Siberia, to Jakutsk stood among other things the visit of the giant museum on the program. Nevertheless the Ukraine conflict was completely close. With its visit in the Far East Putin explained, wherein the goal of the “present military operation lies in the east (Ukraine)” and why the so-called people resistance went into the offensive.

As so often lately has Putin thereby statements set up, which do not correspond to the reality, yes, which the facts rotate every now and then even into their opposite. Its statements are often unchecked transferred also to Germany. What is poetry and which truth? Spiegel online examines some the most current Russian statements. Putin and the alleged bombardment by the Ukrainian army: “Regular ones Ukrainian units have large cities encircle and to cover residential areas with purposeful fire”, Putin on Monday to a BBC correspondent explained. Few days before it had compared the action of the Ukrainians already with that of the fascist German troops before Leningrad: “Large cities were encircled and destroyed by purposeful bombardment, including inhabitants.” There is no purposeful bombardment of eastUkrainian cities and also not the attempt, the population, as it says, with “sharp fire” to kill. I spent the last weeks in Donezk and to me the damage in the city exactly viewed. Yes, daily there are impacts of artillery, it gives destruction and human victims there. The hits however essentially concentrate on two areas: the area in the north around the main station and on the Petrowski urban district in the southwest. (Empties) the school No. 33 for example, which was met on Wednesday past week, is because of the Lenin brochure in just this southwest Rayon. Were met recently also (for a long time vacated) the market before the main station and a small shop, which have around the clock on - there there were indeed at night dead.

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Crisis simulation: Germany would get along five months without gas from Russia

If the Ukraine crisis should escalate, Germany up to five could get along months without Russian gas. That comes out from a new crisis simulation, which is present Spiegel online. Other EU countries would get fast problems.


Hamburg - in the autumn 2014 the controversy over east Ukraine is intensified appreciably, the European Union and Russia fights each other with ever harder sanctions, finally, in November, seizes the Russian president to the extreme one: Wladimir Putin closes the gas tap for Europe. A cold winter threatens the whole continent. It is the ultimative crisis scenario, with which energy-industry Institut at the university was long concerned to Cologne (EWI) several weeks. A so far completely theoretical study. Completely wrong are it in addition, no more, since Russian troops creep in into east Ukraine and with the building of a gas pipeline to China began Russia. Nevertheless: If the case of a Russian gas embargo should arise, then Germany could withstand it obviously for a long time. Only after six months a stop of Russian natural gas deliveries would lead to supply disruptions in Germany, is called it in the EWI simulation, which is present Spiegel online. Well 3.4 billion cubic meter gas to be missing, have the energy experts around directors of studies Harald Hecking were then calculated. In the entire past year in Germany approximately 84 billion cubic meter were used. The EWI study calls two conditions, so that Germany could get over the winter to a large extent without deliveries from Russia: As reconciliation for the missing pipeline gas Europe would have altogether well 45 billion cubic meter more liquid gas to import than last year. The raw material is cooled thereby on minus 164 degrees and exported by tankers into all world. Owing to the additional raw materials of the ship would have to be passed fewer gases from Germany into other European Union member states. Since the liquid gas would have to come to a large extent from Asia, the gas prices might rise, are called it in the study. If only additional 25 billion cubic meter were imported, it would already come with a three-month gas embargo to delivery bottlenecks into Germany. The Federal Republic would have to empty their gas memory the winter over nearly completely. They did not let themselves fill up then up to the winter after the next again completely. Supply security would be lower thereby also from October 2015 until March 2016 than normal, is called it in the study. Also technically the supply of the Federal Republic from alternative sources would be probably possible problem-free. “The German gas nets are so modern that the rivers could be up to date rerouted”, communicate a spokesman of the Ontras gas transport GmbH. “Effects on the transportability in of Germany pipelines would not be to be feared therefore.”

Crisis scenario: Follow a Russian gas boycott

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Crisis, black september for traders: from closed for holidays to closed for ever

Due to the crisis and a massacre of bar, libraries, restaurants and clothing stores. So much so that today, 1 September, thousands of shops not snuffed the gates after the summer holidays. So how could consist ilfattoquotidiano.it the main italian cities

"It's a desperation, very sad. Things are even worse. We want someone who will reverse the route". But who? The answer to the lady Mary, trader historic in the center of roman shopping, not ec has none. Due to the crisis, in all the italian cities, and a massacre of bar, libraries, restaurants, clothing stores and cosmetics. So much so that today, 1 September, thousands of shops not snuffed the gates after the summer holidays. "Sees - explains to ilfattoquotidiano.it Maria, a merchant from feisty spirit that in recent years, there is due serve with a bureaucracy ever more insidious and a suffocating fiscal pressure - there are two shops and a bar that have affixed to showcase 'closed for holidays', but i know for sure that we will reopen". The official numbers there are still no to confirm this that is more than a feeling and that you feel walking the streets of the trade along the boot. But the forecasts of Confesercenti leave no doubt. In July and August have ceased their activities approximately 5,463 companies, against just the opening of just 2,603 . In other words: every 2 closures, there was only one opening with the most serious situation which is recorded in southern regions, where focuses almost a third of total closures. But the new activities seem to be, however, intended to have a shorter lives. Forecasts, that if they should be confirmed, confirm a negative trend for over a year, in line with that recorded in the summer of 2013, up to now the annus horribilis for the retail trade. Always according to the Association of operators, June 2014 over 40% of open tasks in 2010 (about 27thousand firms) is already disappeared, by burning a capital investment of approximately 2.7 billion euros. AND a company on four lasts even less than three years. ROME bitter reality, certified in the field, even from another retailer of via Cavour, commercial artery always in the heart of Rome. "After the summer break - he told us - will remain closed a couple of local which is, however, expose the cartel with the signs for the holiday". What, in fact, there is no written on cardstock (posted must be for law) is a whole another story even more mortifying. Close businesses that also have a long family activities behind and that modesty does not manage to admit its defeat, pinched between taxes, contributions to the Inps, the opening of commercial centers and the loss of customers. The last shot of queue for the dignity of a small businessman - factory or shop that is the spirit foro Italico is always the same - that prefer to close without fuss, perhaps taking advantage of the holiday. As well as confirmation Confesercenti: "Only at the end of the year, with the non-renewal of the card with the association, we discover that a member has closed and its activities and disappearance.

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