SOTT EXCLUSIVE: 'Shut your trap, Frau Merkel!' EU walls are cracking



© Burki (24 Heures)



In her bid for reelection as leader of the Christian Democratic Union, Angela Merkel was interviewed by on Dec. 7, 2014. In that interview she once again condemns Russia:

In an interview with , Merkel reproached Russian President Vladimir Putin for standing in the way of East European countries that would like to join the EU or strengthen relations with it. Merkel said "Russia created difficulties" for Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, which had "on their own sovereign decisions, signed association agreements with the EU."


Merkel told the center-right German daily's Sunday edition that "I am convinced that the collective European response to Russia is the right answer." The chancellor added that the fact "that Russia had broken its guarantees in the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 guaranteeing the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine must not be without consequences."



That interview probably did the trick as she was reelected with a staggering 97.7 percent for the eighth consecutive time.

More of her interview has sent ripples through the EU:



Merkel criticized fiscal policies in Italy and France after the two countries won more time from the EU to put their public finances in order. Deep divisions have emerged at the European Commission over how to handle the failures of France and Italy to bring their books in order, with German officials preaching harsh austerity and leading the call for the two to meet their commitments.


The Commission had "drawn up a calendar according to which France and Italy are due to present additional measures," Merkel said. "That's justified because both countries are in the process of carrying out reforms," she added. "But the Commission has also said in a clear manner that what is on the table to date is still insufficient," she said. "That's something that I agree with."


Last month, the EU gave France, Italy and Belgium three extra months to fix their budgets. The Commission, the EU's executive arm, singled out France for special criticism, citing its "limited progress" in reducing fiscal red ink. The country's deficit could top 4 percent of GDP in 2015, above the EU-allowed ceiling of 3 percent.



Ooh la la, France was not happy with Merkel! The French MEP, Jean-Luc Melanchon, Tweeted his displeasure: 'Shut your trap, Frau Merkel! France is free.' He further told the 'frau' (woman) to concentrate instead on her own country's poverty and crumbling infrastructure:



France's Finance Minister condemned Melanchon's Tweet:

Michel Sapin called Mélenchon's words "rude, insulting and stupid" and said that Germany's concerns about delayed financial reforms in a number of EU members are understandable, as countries promise to carry out necessary transformations and then don't stick to their obligations.


"Germany is in a better position now because of the reforms it did a decade ago," Sapin said, cited by Reuters. According to him, the budget deficit of France will be reduced to 4.1% in 2015, in comparison to a previous target of 4,4% thanks to additional savings, which France announced last week, Reuters reports.



He further made remarks supporting France's initiatives and rejecting Merkel's assessment:

"We are making reforms in France not to please one European leader or another, but because they are necessary for France," Sapin said in response to questions on French television.


He said Germany had its own problems, from crumbling roads to a low birth rate.


"In Germany the population is decreasing every year," Sapin said. "In 10 or 20 years because of this we will be in a better position. Germany is in a better position now because of the reforms it did a decade ago."



Italy also wasn't happy with Frau Merkel. The undersecretary for EU affairs Sandro Gozistating stated:

"The Italian government has never permitted itself to hand out marks to a European Union member country and we ask Germany for the same respect," he said, adding that Germany has outstanding contributions to the European cause, such as investing more and fixing the balance-of-payment imbalances, that "Europe has been waiting on Berlin to make for a long time, and which so far has not happened."



But Germany's finance minister, Wolfgang Shauble, had a more praising tone with regard to France and Italy's recent activities in that sector:

"If you look at the news and what has been done in the countries over the past weeks, then you see that Italy, for example, has passed a remarkable reform to its labor market in its legislative assemblies, and France has been taking additional measures all the time."



Merkel has also been accused of being an "American puppet" by Germany's Deputy Head of the Bundestag, Sahra Wagenknecht:

"Ms. Merkel, there is something that you consider to be more important than the interests of German business: that is the interests of the American government and American business."



As we can see, all is not well in the EU with sparks flying everywhere and cracks beginning to form. Bear in mind that Germany and France are the core of the EU.

There doesn't seem to be a consensus in the EU on how do deal with the economy, let alone how to respond to Russia. And Hollande just had a short visit with Putin in Russia where Putin seemed to be "all smiles". So not only is the EU having troubles, NATO seems to be having some rifts opening amongst its allies as well.


Is a major shift in Europe about to be born? Only time will tell.




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William Barbe (Profile)


William joined the SOTT news team in 2014. A 30-year veteran of the semiconductor industry, in 2007 he began being interested and paying more attention to world events and living a healthier lifestyle. Hobbies and interests include hiking, photography and reading non-fiction books on history, economics, psychology, science, unexplained anomalies and politics.



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