The EU summit on 21 July 2011 got much publicity, but produced quite limited results. It brought some short-term relief for Greece and other euro zone states in the periphery, but did hardly anything to deal with underlying problems. Its main result was buying time. Joachim Becker comments the recent bail-out package of the European Union.
The two main results of the summit were a reduction of the interest rates of the bail-out programmes for Greece, Ireland and Portugal to about 3.5% and the providing more flexibility to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF). The reduction of the interest rates lowers the burden of the debt service for the three countries. However, even 3.5% might be too much for countries that will be in recession this year as Portugal and Greece are according to quite optimistic official prognosis ...
Marking the 30th anniversary of one of the world's more influential economic annuals experts pointed out that themes long sounded in UNCTAD's Trade and Development Report retain current prominence - particularly those citing the questionable wisdom of unbridled free markets.
In an open letter a global coalition of development activists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is calling on the World Bank's governors to ensure that the next president is chosen in an "open and merit-based process" that will give borrowing countries a major say in the selection.
After decades of isolation - imposed by major OECD countries out of concern for the country's human rights violations - Myanmar is emerging as a new darling of the "West" - judging by the accelerating succession of visits by senior officials and gurus. New groups of investors are waiting to enter the country as soon as possible.
Persistent high unemployment, the euro area debt crisis and premature fiscal austerity have already slowed global growth and factor into the possibility of a new recession. Now the United Nations have downgraded significantly its forecasts for the world economy in the next year.
Eastern European states are in for a new round of the crisis. The external control of the banking sector and high reliance on external credit has landed the countries of Eastern Europe in a vulnerable position. Now, credit flows from Western banks are drying up again. Hungary has been the first country in the region to ask for IMF support again.