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Thursday, September 22, 2005
European Union
T
he results of the German elections mirror the deep rift that runs across the European Union. While Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats embrace moderate reforms closer to the hearts of the founding EU members, the pro-reform, free-market-oriented Angela Merkel reflects the position of many of the EU's new member countries in Eastern Europe.
T
he stalemate threatening to paralyze the German economy is likely to reappear across the continent once the European Union opens up a debate on its future direction.
A
n upcoming EU meeting on economic reforms and social policy will most likely reveal the split between the liberal, free-trade-oriented countries and those that are more reluctant to pursue radical reforms. This will strike yet another blow to European unity and speed up the fragmentation of the EU, with the European Commission being further sidelined in the process of decision-making.
Posted by fm on September 22, 2005 at 12:57 AM