Attention Geert Wilders and Marie Le Pen: Eurozone posts euro 13.1-billion September trade surplus

The eurozone posted another big 12-month increase in its trade surplus on Monday, the latest monthly data from the EU's Eurostat agency showed.

The first estimate for September gave a 13.1-billion-euro surplus (US$17.7 billion) for the trade in goods with the rest of the world, compared with 8.6 billion euros in September 2012.

A trade surplus is one of the factors of growth in an economy, whereas a deficit tends to sap growth, and so achieving a trade surplus is of critical importance to economies in crisis.

Read more: Eurozone posts 13.1-billion September trade surplus: EU

The Netherlands: The Netherlands: Health Insurers have also become too big to fail

Health insurers like banks have also become too big to fail '. That says Chris Oomen, CEO of health care provider ' Achmea.  In 2008 it received state bailout funds and today controls one third of that tmarket ',

"Assume Achmea goes down -  there will be no health care provider which is able to accept our insured in the Netherlands, because no one has enough equity to take on our 5 million customers. That requires so much capital, that you will become bankrupt immediately. We have therefore also become  'too big to fail.' says Oomen.

According to Oomen hospitals now also fall in this too big to fail category in the Netherlands.


Almere-Diges

The European Social Model Can And Must Survive The Crisis - Anthony Giddens

What does the Eurozone crisis mean for the future of Europe? In an interview with EUROPP’s Managing Editor Stuart Brown, Anthony Giddens discusses the content of his new book, Turbulent and Mighty Continent: What Future for Europe? He outlines the structural factors underpinning the crisis, the benefits of EU membership, and why maintaining the European social model as a social investment state is of crucial importance for European countries.

"Europe has become a community of fate in another sense, which is that for the first time we have a European public and political space. In every European country, European issues are now covered extensively in the media. I was amazed at the amount of coverage given in the UK to Angela Merkel’s re-election. You would never have found that previously, and that’s recognition that we’re all in this together, even if many in the UK want us to leave the European Union."

"So for me, as a pro-European, the key issue is whether we can make this negative public space more of a positive one. For this reason, I feel that pro-Europeans should state their case and network across Europe in the run up to the 2014 European elections. We should not let the populists and the Eurosceptics dominate the debate politically, or emotionally."

Read more: The European Social Model Can And Must Survive The Crisis - Social Europe Journal

The Netherlands: Ocean Sailing - the Stad Amsterdam: Its all about adventurous sailing

the Stad Amsterdam

Each year, the Clipper Stad Amsterdam makes a number of adventurous sailing trips. In April and December, we sail across the Atlantic, in the summer, the tall ship Stad Amsterdam sails the Mediterranean, the Bay of Biscay and the North Sea to IJmuiden, her port of registry.


 Are you a true sailing enthusiast and would you like to sail along on our ship? Why not enlist? But even if you have little sailing experience and would like to pitch in, you are most welcome. You could even receive sailing training. All options are open on these trips, but there are no obligations.

On Monday April 21st you are welcome to come aboard the Clipper Stad Amsterdam in the  city of Boston (USA), the capital of the state of Massachusetts and unofficially also of New England.

The long non-stop crossing to the Spanish town Malaga will start the next morning.

The true sailing enthusiast will for sure get what he or she is looking for. The dolphins tumbling near the ship’s bow, the beautiful clouds, the colorful rainbows, the sun's rise and fall but also the peace and freedom of the open sea will make you relive the old days. An unique chance to admire the Clipper in all her glory.
We expect to arrive in Malaga three weeks later on the early morning of May 12th.

This sixth largest city of Spain at the Mediterranean Sea and at the Costa del Sol, known for its tourism, is only 100 kilometers away from the Strait of Gibraltar. Surrounded by mountains and crossed by two rivers, this city is also well worth visiting. From the airport, eight kilometers southwest of Malaga, it is most likely that you will leave on a flight home which also means the end of a no doubt unforgettable sailing experience. Of course you can also sail with us for another week to Monaco on the French Riviera.

Read more: About adventurous sailing - Stad Amsterdam

An Eurosceptic Alliance? - Le Pen, Wilders eye eurosceptic alliance for EU elections - will the voter be fooled?

Le Pen and Wilders the Eurosceptic Alliance

Eurosceptics Geert Wilders of the Netherlands and Marine Le Pen of France are discussing closer cooperation in a bid to capitalize on voter frustration with mainstream politics before the 2014 European parliament elections.

Ms Le Pen arrived in the Netherlands on November 13 for further talks with Mr.Wilders . 

But will it work to band Eurosceptic parties from around Europe, including the Netherlands, Britain, France,  Germany, Sweden, Austria and Denmark together?

"Eurosceptism has reached its peak", said a French Euro Parliamentarian." Even though the European voter might initially have been attracted to these Populist political parties, the voters are also not completely stupid.

They have seen during the economic crises and the recent NSA spying drama that only a united Europe can withstand and react as one against the onslaught of negative economic and political forces from outside the EU.".

"What could the Netherlands, which is totally dependent on trading with other EU nations, achieve by going solo", says D66 Party chief  and parliamentarian Alexander Pechtold, "I have asked Mr. Wilders this question many times  but he never comes up with any concrete answers."

Le Pen has sought to rid her party of overt neo-Nazis and racists and has distanced herself from the anti-Semitic remarks of her father. But a string of embarrassing scandals over racism among party members could still make her an unappealing partner for Wilders in the eyes of his Jewish backers and local supporters.

Wilders, who is anti-Islam, has been funded by The Middle East Forum, a pro-Israeli think tank based in Philadelphia, USA: the group also funded Wilders' legal defense in 2010 and 2011 against Dutch charges of inciting racial hatred.

EU-Digest

Recycling and Waste Management: EU recycling industry could create an additional 160,000 jobs by 2020

Recycling could create at least an additional 160.000 jobs in a circular economy say executives at WRAP a British advisory company which works with a wide range of partners, from major UK businesses, trade bodies and local authorities through to individuals looking for practical advice on recyclin.  They are funded by all four governments across the UK and the EU and run programs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.

As a practical example of a circular economy - Norway, along with many other northern European countries, has built a network of cogeneration plants that produce heat and electricity from recycled waste.  Referred to as waste-to-energy facilities, the process is relatively simple.  Garbage is burned in a portion of the facility, creating steam, ash and flue gases.  The facility collects the steam and uses it to turn turbines, which generates the electricity used throughout much of the country.  The ash is trucked away to a landfill, while the remaining gases are either filtered and dispersed into the atmosphere, or collected and used for additional products like biofuel.

With a growing recycling infrastructure diverting more European waste from landfills, as well as systems R&D investments from integrated waste handling firms the EU could eventually be turning their waste into gold and jobs.

EU-Digest

Banking - the Netherlands: ING Q3 profit falls following Korean asset sale

ING Groep NV saw its third-quarter profit fall sharply after it booked a loss on the sale of operations in South Korea.

However the company's new chief executive said Wednesday profits on an underlying basis were stable and that the company is close to repaying rescue money it received from the Dutch state in times of crisis in 2008 and 2009.

Jan Hommen, the executive who stepped in after the bailouts to oversee ING's restructuring, retired on Oct. 1. His replacement, Ralph Hamers, said Wednesday that ING is "grateful" for the taxpayer money.

Net profit for the quarter was 101 million euros ($136 million), down from 659 million euros in the same period a year ago. During the quarter, it booked a 950 million euro loss on the sale of its South Korean insurance arm. Underlying profits, which exclude tax and one-time items, were 891 million euros, up 5.6 percent.

ING received 10 billion euros of state aid in 2008. It has been steadily shedding operations and repaying that debt, plus interest, ever since. On Wednesday it repaid 1.13 billion euros, leaving it with a remaining tab of 1.5 billion euros.

Read more: ING Q3 profit falls following Korean asset sale; new CEO says 'thanks' for 2008 state aid (11/6/13 4:07 am)