Faisal Islam
Endgame II: Europe’s Faustian pact
Greece has voted in favour of the EU/IMF austerity package. But why is Germany pushing stability throughout Europe – and what is it hoping to achieve?
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‘The French just want to see the back of Sarkozy’
As Nicolas Sarkozy formally declares his bid for a second term as French president, political commentator Agnes Poirier tells Channel 4 News his time may be up.
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Tarnished Sarkozy launches re-election bid
Nicolas Sarkozy launches his bid for a second term on Wednesday night, but polls suggest he’s the most unpopular incumbent president in French history, and is trailing far behind his socialist rival.
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Cameron facing Tory eurosceptics’ ire
David Cameron is braced for a Tory eurosceptic backlash after dropping Britain’s opposition to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) being used to enforce a new fiscal compact for the eurozone.
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Gary Gibbon
Merkel to Cameron: ‘madness’ talk is ‘typical British negotiating punch’
Chancellor Merkel has another saying which aides say she uses frequently in private: “If you climb up a tree you have to climb down it.” She may well be looking at David Cameron’s mini u-turn this afternoon on the use of EU institutions by the rest of the EU and think she’s watching just such an arborial stunt. Certainly some Tory MPs think they’re looking at some kind of climbdown and don’t like it.
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France loses AAA credit rating
The French government confirms it has lost its much-coveted AAA credit rating. Economics Editor Faisal Islam says the move has “huge significance” for the euro rescue plan.
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Merkel and Sarkozy meet over jobs and growth plans
Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy are meeting to discuss ways to boost growth in eurozone states struggling to overcome the sovereign debt crisis and rising unemployment.
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‘Difficult’ challenges ahead for UK, warns Cameron
Britain faces a difficult year in 2012, says the prime minister in his new year’s message – but he pledges the coalition government will do “everything it takes” to get the country up to strength.
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EU leaders warn of tough times ahead
The leaders of France and Germany use their new year’s day messages to predict that the coming year will be more difficult than 2011.
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Anglo-French spat as Paris faces downgrade
With the war of words continuing over the relative health of the British and French economies, money market rumours suggest France could have its credit rating downgraded, as Jane Deith reports.
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Barroso says UK made compromise impossible
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso criticises the UK’s approach to negotiations at last week’s Brussels summit, saying British demands risked compromising the internal market.
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Gary Gibbon
Cameron must manage eurosceptic expectations
David Cameron should enjoy his moment of acclamation from his backbenchers on Monday because it is going to be extremely difficult to give them another such moment for the lifetime of this parliament.
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Cameron made ‘bad’ Euro deal, says Clegg
The UK emerged from last week’s Brussels summit with a “bad deal”, says Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who fears Britain will now become “isolated and marginalised” within the EU.
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Faisal Islam
Ten curiosities about David Cameron’s veto
What did the UK “win” in Brussels that justified deploying the tactical weapon of the veto?
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Cameron at crossroads after EU veto
As Conservative backbench MPs welcome David Cameron home from Brussels after his decision to veto EU treaty changes, is the euro actually any closer to being saved?
