This is the first newsletter of Troika Watch. With this newsletter, we want to cover news about the Troika, the situation in the countries affected by it and the opposition and resistance against it. We hope that this can help connecting struggles and be a contribution to strengthen resistance against austerity policies. We are a group of people that mostly know each other from meetings like the European Social forum, Firenze 10+10, the Altersummit, EU in crisis or Blockupy. Some of us work for progressive NGOs like the Bretton Woods Project, CEO, CADTM or TNI, others are activists in networks like Attac or ICAN. We plan to publish this newsletter once or twice a month in English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. You can subscribe to this newsletter at www.troikawatch.net/lists and contact us by sending an email to info@troikawatch.net .
Democratic Left, which won six per cent of the votes and 19 seats, suggested last week that it would be prepared to join a coalition including the established parties. But it later backtracked, saying it would not be part of any government that did not include the largest anti-bailout grouping, Syriza. Mr Kouvelis said yesterday that any coalition government should "immediately" cancel legislation that slashed the minimum wage and facilitated layoffs, and start to "disengage" Greece from the unpopular EU-IMF rescue package.
Jan Hurri, Taloussanomat 30.5.2012: "Protestiäänet ovat jo nostaneet Kreikassa uusnatseja parlamenttiin. Silti Kreikan "pelastajat" yhä painostavat toivottomaan jamaan suistunutta maata jatkamaan mahdotonta talouden tuhokuuria. Tämä ei ole enää vain järjetöntä vaan pelottavaa. Talouden ahdinko ja sitä varta vasten pahentaneet talouspolitiikan päättömyydet ovat ennenkin avittaneet ääriliikkeitä Euroopassa valtaan – kammottavin seurauksin."
In sum the draft confirms the will to impose greater regulatory "convergence" and "harmonization" of future regulations between the EU and the US in the only interest of transnational corporations and the financial industry. The vagueness of the draft would allow the Commission great freedom to achieve this. Social, labour and environmental rights in both sides of the Atlantic are under fire.
Attac France 18.3.2013: "En revanche, que l'Union européenne valide une taxe exceptionnelle et progressive sur les grandes fortunes pour rembourser la dette des banques constitue un précédent très intéressant. Il est donc possible de faire payer les riches par une méthode ô combien expéditive, un prélèvement direct voté par le Parlement sur les avoirs bancaires, y compris les produits financiers. Le réseau des Attac d'Europe demande depuis plusieurs mois la mise en place d'une taxation exceptionnelle sur les grandes fortunes pour réduire les besoins de financement des Etats. Le précèdent chypriote, avec toutes ses limites, montre qu'il suffit d'une volonté politique."
This working paper and infographic provide an overview of a great 'fire sale' of public services and national assets across Europe that is providing profits for a few transnational companies but is often fiercely opposed by its citizens.
”Det mjuka monstret Bryssel eller Europas omyndigförklaring” heter en liten pamflett av den tyske författaren, kritikern och debattören Hans Magnus Enzensberger, som nu kommit ut i svensk översättning.
A l’initiative d’Attac et de la Fondation Copernic, des responsables associatifs, syndicaux et politiques et des chercheurs lancent une lettre ouverte à François Hollande : "Non au Pacte budgétaire, pas d’Europe sans citoyens !", demandant l’organisation d’un débat tranché par un référendum.
Mary Einbinder, Dec 2011: "In A Brief History of Neoliberalism, David Harvey, a geographer and Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at CUNY, portrays the process of globalization through an economic perspective. Harvey describes the gradual shift throughout the global market towards economic and social policies that progressively gave an increased liberality and centrality to markets, market processes, and to the interests of capital. Harvey sets his analysis in the context of the rise of neoliberalism.
Dans le cadre du rapport d’Hélène Flautre, eurodéputée EELV, le Parlement Européen a tenu hier, 27 mars 2012, une audition sur la complicité des Etats européens dans les actions illégales de la CIA après le 11 septembre 2001.
Antoine Simon, shale gas campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said: "Europe must not fall into the shale gas trap – it threatens the health of local communities, the environment, locks Europe into fossil fuel dependency, and undermines renewable energy developments."