Can we save the economy in Europe?
By WakeUpKitty
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
Netherlands
September 5, 2011 9:19am CST
As the European Union/euro just started the first (west) European countries had to live by strict rules. The countries who joined later (mostly from South Europe) seemed to be able to join very easily. West Europe wondered how come, since they all know the south Europe countries and the East Europe countries are not the richest countries in Europe and have a complete different way of living and working.
It also means the rich countries have to pay for the poor.
Promises made (if we all have the euro every article has the same price in Europe, etc etc never came true).
Later (years later) we heard Greece cheated to get the permission to join. For me it's very hard to believe the politican did not know that.
Now Greece is bankrupt. A former dutch politican says the only way to save the Euro is to kick Greece out of the club. Let them have their own coin again. But we still should give them money to make it able to rebuild their economy.
Fact is most countries have a (very) bad economy now and a hard time to save them selves. What to your opinion is a solution to save the economy of your land?
5 responses
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
5 Sep 11
Apparently the United Kingdom was doing business with and had close ties with Australia and New Zealand in the time before we joined Europe. I remember when the Channel Tunnel was planned and then it actually happened. I remember reading that Spain was quite a poor country until it joined the European Union. The money in this paid for it to improve its roads. Then it wasn't long before Eastern European countries like Poland, the Czech Republic. Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union. I am very keen on traveling and I have been to every one of those countries I have mentioned. I saw how poor Romania was in 2006 and I didn't feel that it was ready to join the European Union. Yet it did. Only 4% of Turkey is in Europe but it also wanted to join. Most of the European countries have a poor economy due to the recession. I don't think that Brussels would kick out of the European Union the poorer countries like Greece. We still have our own currency but many other European countries went for the Euro currency. I hope that the European countries will get a lot better. I wish for the world to get rid of its recession. In the United Kingdom are many workers legally over from Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania. I like having European Union status passport wise.
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
• Netherlands
5 Sep 11
Romania doesn't have the euro yet nor does Hungary (also in big trouble). But they have to use it within a few years. Only at the start (the first countries) were allowed to ask for other rules. That is why you still have your own currency.
I don't think Greece is a poor country (there are very rich families over there, who been asked to pay the debts/loans) but there is (was?) a bad management (on purpose or with agreement of the other countries).
To be honest I don't know if I would like to have an European Union passport. I don't feel the need to that although I don't feel dutch either, I never did.
Might be such a passport would make many things easier, like travelling to Australia for example?
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Sep 11
Yes, having an EU Passport makes it easier to travel to some places especially Australia and New Zealand. Often I don't need a visa because I have a EU passport for many different countries.
It is shocking Greece doesn't have a good tax system. In my home country the pension age is in the late sixties.
@godarna (223)
•
6 Sep 11
One of the problems in Greece is, that it still has to establish a good tax system, too many people hardly pay tax. How can a system survive without income. When you read that at an Athens' terrace you pay less, when you don't ask for a ticket, something is awfully wrong. Imagine this tax evasion is widely spread, and it is! Civil servants sitting home enjoying their perions at 53! How could the country join the EC and get its eurostatus? Ask that american banker, who was part of the main cause of the recession a couple of years ago!
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
6 Sep 11
Prime Minister Thatcher said it best Socialism works very well until you run out of other peoples money. You can't pay a person all their life to do nothing and expect the country to keep going. It is going to be tough but the social programs have to be cut big time.
@iuliuxd (4453)
• Romania
6 Sep 11
Bobmnu that`s b...t .Some of the strongest economies in Europe are socialists.If you look at all countries from northern Europe they all have great social programs to help the poor,the kids,the unemployed people etc.And they have no financial problems.This crisis was produced by the rich people not by the poor people.SO we don`t need to cut the social programs we need to put the rich ones in jail ...or hang them :D
Can you believe George Soros has made almost 1 billion dollars betting on US rating ? So a rich person is making 1 billion dollars in 10 minutes,the US banks have taken 700 billions from US citizens and they wasted those money on huge wages and bonuses,and you think the problem is the social programs ?
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
• Netherlands
5 Sep 11
except for Ireland to us (I live in Holland) Spain and Portugal are south Europe and Belgium isn't. That is the way we learn it at school.
I agree with you we still will be in trouble and I have no doubt we still have to pay no matter what they will decide.
@iuliuxd (4453)
• Romania
5 Sep 11
What a selfish topic this is :)
I think we should start working somehow to break the EU because none of the countries is satisfied.The thing is the big companies wants us to be together,and the politicians wants us to be together because they are controlled by the big companies. I don`t think Europe is like a big family , i think it`s better for all of us to take care of our families and the ones we love and to ignore the politics or to fight against them.I am not European, i am not Romanian either , i don`t have any feelings for my country or for any other country, or for my town , i only love some people and i don`t care about the rest :p
@cowgirl03051979 (918)
• United States
6 Sep 11
i dont think we can save the economy in europe...at least not right now. we cannot even save our own economy here in the us much less someone elses. i think we need a good strong president leader to get us back on track...such as larry the cable guy.
