You are currently browsing the EU Australia Online archives for January, 2012.
European leaders this week settled agreement on a new treaty that will create a closer financial union, and approved a permanent fund for supporting EU member governments under pressure from debt.
NEW EU TREATY ON FINANCE
The gathering at Brussels was one of a series since the financial crisis of 2008, which have step-by-step consolidated a joint response to financial or monetary crisis. … Read More »
Australia’s Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd in London on Tuesday backed the European Union embargo on oil imports from Iran, decided on the day before.
Talk of a crisis over the flare-up in relations with that country coincided with renewed expressions of concern by the IMF over the larger crisis, with weakening in the world economy. … Read More »
The Tour Down Under became another Europe-Australia contest, taken out this time by the home team, in the shape of Victoria’s Simon Gerrans (picture).
The 803-kilometre race staged during six days, over the last 14 years in the South and South-eastern part of the country, draws in a set of riders from international elite racing, and thousands of fun riders, children and amateur racers in parallel events. … Read More »
The tempo of the French political season increased on the weekend with the Socialist Party staging a rally to launch its challenge for the presidency, in elections this April and May.
Its candidate, Francois Hollande (picture), spoke of an early withdrawal from Afghanistan … and pointed the finger at the finance industry, for much of the stress over the economy in Europe; a topic of interest far and wide, one Australian review even speaking of a world “Eurogeddonâ€. … Read More »
Croatians voted on Sunday to becomes the 28th member country of the European Union.
The voter turn-out was low at 44% but the decision emphatic, with 66% saying yes to ac cession, which is to take place in July next year, once the existing member governments have ratified it.
The Australian Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, has begun a one-week tour in Europe taking in consultations in Brussels on the economic situation, security talks in London and a new bilateral agreement in France, signed on Friday (20.1.12).
NEW AGREEMENT WITH FRANCE INCLUDES PACIFIC, AND THE WESTERN FRONT
An agreement signed in Paris with the French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, raised the status of the relationship between the two countries to that of a strategic partnership. … Read More »
The start of the business week on Monday saw impacts of the “Black Friday†lunge at European creditworthiness, by a leading US credit ratings firm.
The company, Standard and Poor’s, down -graded nine members of the 17-member Eurozone group, in its Sovereigns Ratings List, on 13.1.12. … Read More »