- Germany edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Norway |
- Spain |
- Sweden |
- Switzerland
Germans less than ecstatic on EU and euro
Published: 17 Sep 12 16:29 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20120917-45023.html
Nearly two thirds of Germans think they would be better off if they had not swapped the deutschmark for the euro while about half say they would be doing better without the European Union.
- Economists warn against German euro exit (18 May 13)
- Survey: Half of gays harassed in Germany (18 May 13)
- Germany cool to France's EU economy plan (17 May 13)
The Germans are also less attached to the European Union than French people, the study suggested.
Some 49 percent of those Germans questioned said they thought would be personally better off if the EU did not exist, compared to 34 percent of French who said they would be better, or much better off without the EU.
The poll, also carried out in Poland, showed only 28 percent of Poles believed they would be better off without the EU.
Nevertheless, despite their apparent scepticism about the euro on a personal level, 69 percent of Germans said they believed the EU was a model for the rest of the world, compared to 56 percent of French and 59 percent of Poles.
The survey was conducted by telephone among 1,001 people in Germany, 1,004 in France and 1,000 in Poland.
AFP/The Local/hc
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Germany cool to France's EU economy plan
Germany said Friday that French President Francois Hollande's proposal for a eurozone economic government was "interesting" but reacted coolly to his call for strengthened European budgetary powers. READ () »
Au pairs rules relax for non-German families
Foreign families will soon be able to officially engage au pairs from outside the European Union, as long as they speak German at home, as the government prepares to change the law. READ () »
Germany refuses to slam French economic policy
Germany will not publicly criticize France over economic policy, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble insisted on Thursday, amid differences between Berlin and Paris over growth versus austerity in battling the eurozone debt crisis. READ () »
Capri-Sun drink wins false advertising award
A German food industry watchdog singled out drinks-maker Capri-Sun for its annual advertising "award" on Thursday, for what the group described as "shameless" marketing of sugary drinks to children. READ () »
Anaemic economy feels winter chill
The German economy, Europe's biggest, clocked up anaemic growth at the start of 2013 as the freezing winter weather put the brakes on activity, official data showed on Wednesday. READ () »
ThyssenKrupp bins 3,000 admin jobs
German heavy industry giant ThyssenKrupp said on Wednesday it plans to axe 3,000 administrative jobs worldwide as disastrous investments in steel operations overseas tore holes in its balance sheet in the second quarter. READ () »
Pay deal for metal workers averts strike
Germany's powerful union IG Metall agreed a pay deal with the metal industry's employers association early Wednesday, averting the threat of a major strike. READ () »
First ever strike hits Amazon's German unit
German employees of Amazon staged their first-ever walkouts on Tuesday as the US internet retail giant was hit by a dispute over pay. READ () »
Volkswagen plans giant car plant in China
German auto giant Volkswagen will build a plant in central China, a spokesman said Tuesday, as it battles US rival General Motors to be the top foreign automaker in the world's biggest car market. READ () »
Metal workers enter huge warning strikes
Tens of thousands of metal workers downed tools on Monday in a spat between powerful union IG Metall and employers over pay. It marks the start of what could be a decisive week for the industry as a full-scale strike looms. READ () »
- 10/05 German giants dazzle Dax »
- 10/05 Netto pioneers mobile phone payments »
- 08/05 Court: gay and straight tax breaks must match »
- 08/05 BMW recalls 22,000 cars over airbag fault »
- 07/05 France tells Germany: we need growth too »
- 07/05 Germany 'lags behind on organic farming' »
- 06/05 Painter Baselitz raided in tax avoidance move »
- 06/05 Lufthansa hits turbulence over top job choice »
- 03/05 Most would increase tax on the wealthy »
- 03/05 50,000 metalworkers strike for more pay »
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
British Corner Shop
British Corner Shop - The online supermarket for expats -
Shiply Worldwide Ltd
Shiply the Online Transport Market Place -
Chambervelt Rooselain & Cie Ltd.
Insurance and financial planning for English speakers in Germany -
PsyShrink Frankfurt
The Expat Psychologists in Munich, Frankfurt and worldwide -
PsyShrink Munich
The Expat Psychologists in Munich, Frankfurt and worldwide -
Weiss Institut
Free yourself from Smoking addictions, Sugar craving and Alcohol addictions
771 jobs available
587 new jobs this week
0 new jobs today
- Contract Manager (m/f)
- Dipl. Ingenieur (FH) /Techniker (Mechatronik/Elektrotechnik/Maschinenbau)
- Engineers in Mechanical Engineering and Design (m/f)
- Process IT Software Product Manager (m/f)
- Wireless Network Engineer (m/f)
- GCC Revenue Development Manager (m/f)
- Process IT Infrastructure Product Manager (m/f)
- Mechanical System Design Engineer (m/f)
- SRAM Engineer (m/f)
- Analog Layout Engineer (m/f)
- 17/05 Solna voted best place to live in Sweden »
- 17/05 LinkedIn profile lands Swede with hefty tax bill »
- 16/05 India in no rush to open first Ikea store »
- 16/05 H&M CEO to Bangladesh: raise minimum wages »
- 15/05 Pensioners to recruit ageing Swedish rockers »
- 15/05 Sweden plummets in income equality ranking »
- 15/05 Swedish shop hits back: our Converse are real »
- 15/05 Young Swedes forced to live with mum and dad »
- 14/05 Converse in bid to ban 'fake' shoes in Sweden »
- 13/05 Nordea tracked clients in secret 'black book' »
- “Preserve the proven, shape the new” – the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart
For more than thirty years, Helmuth Rilling shaped the international Bach Academy; now he is succeeded by Hans-Christoph Rademann. - ‘Open Mike’ – Fireworks with the Buddha
The Berlin ‘Open Mike’ entered this year its twentieth edition. - On the Stage, the Spoken Word Prevails
In January 2013 the annual meeting of the Dramaturgical Society took place in Munich; its theme: “Speaking on Stage – and about Theatre”... - The Magician of Images – Klaus Ensikat
With the technique of an Old Master and subtle humour, the award-winning graphic designer and illustrator Klaus Ensikat has for fifty years produced ingenious illustrations for literary classics and children’s books.... - A Picture Every Day – Philip Waechter
Philip Waechter, son of the famous illustrator and cartoonist Friedrich Karl Waechter, is one of the best-known contemporary writers and illustrators of children’s books....
- Theatre festival between the Saar and the Mosel
The Festival Perspectives in the German-French region around Saarbrücken is staging European theatre, dance and music productions. - The European Year of Citizens
2013 is the European Year of Citizens. - Europe Day, Robert Schuman and Class 4a
Enthusiasm for the idea of Europe – in the 60th European Competition, schoolchildren from Germany show what this could look like. - Relief organizations
The portals presented here provide information on the help programs offered by different organizations.
- Contract Manager
- Dipl. Ingenieur (FH) /Techniker
- Account Manager - Academic Sales - Germany
- Application Development Engineer Nutrinova
- Berater Regulatory Affairs
- Business Process Analyst
- Channel Sales Representative
- Clinical Physician - Leading pharma in Germany
- Clinical Sales Specialist, Haematology
- Clinical Sales Specialist: Hi-tech Devices
- 17/05 paid internship
- 17/05 Florida resident seeks job in baden Baden Germany
- 17/05 Berlin Writing Group
- 17/05 cheap car hire
- 15/05 Queen size bed & frame
- 15/05 Feste Stelle
- 07:36 Raining again , will it ever end?
- 07:03 Having three passports
- 06:45 Is learning 'der die das' impossible?
- 06:07 Property law and my UK flat
- 03:05 Short-term stay (up to 3 months) in Berlin
- 01:08 Munich babysitters available
- 00:28 Eurovision 2013 Malmo Sat. 18th May
- 23:00 Meetup for Uni Students (or not)
- 22:20 Language exchange meet up in the Pankow area
- 20:51 2013 UEFA Champions League Final
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
'Charming, old, beamed cottage for holiday let in Jesus Pobre, Alicante, Spain
www.littlehouseinspain.com/
Professional and qualified consultancy on all insurance and finance matters in Germany, Telephone: +49 2163 571 1740, Email: bg@albatross-assurance.com
www.albatross-assurance.com
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Your comments about this article:
I want to ask you a hypothetical question.
There was another Local article where the ECB's Mario Draghi offered to speak to the German parliament about his Euro rescue plans.
What if in Draghi's place before the German parliament, you Mr. Smart2012, were going to deliver that speech before the German parliament.
As you were standing there in your suit and tie before the German parliament;
What would you say about the Eurozone and Germany's part in its rescue? How would your speech sound?
The value of the DM (today) would vastly curtail Germany's exports as it's value to other currencies would be to high, making the cost to consumers in other lands to expensive.
The EU has provided Germany with a stable currency. There is no going back to the DM that would be the mother of all disasters.
The EU, is going through an adjustment period the banking industry has to be reformed from high risk buying and the "to big to fail" problem. Deutsche Bank,UBS for example are to large to be allowed to fail and getting larger putting the tax payer's on the hook for a bailout. Breaking these banks up would be a step in the right direction, but special interest will most likely win out in this theatre.
Perhaps breaking up the EU, the USA and China into more manageable components would be a solution to too much government regulation.
The British broke up the biggest Empire that ever existed after WW11, for that matter, they carved up India int 5 pieces while they were at it.
NATO carved up Yugoslavia in the early 1990's.
Is the model of super states really any better for governments than for banks or other businesses like Google or Microsoft?
We never as citizens get a chance to weigh in on a referendum on this issue.
In an article above this one, Westerwelle, like so many Euro super state centrics calls for more Europe, now yet more elected officials ond the Euro level, why never a vote for the people on less Europe?
Let the people chose between the two, look at all these referendums over the past 25 years. They all are only in the one direction and if the Eurocrats don't get their way they simply keep voting till the citizens vote the way they want them to.
"why never a vote for the people on less Europe?" - Maybe because polls are showing that Europeans find EU a model for the rest of the world, as reported by the article? Maybe because countries are lining up to join the EU? Maybe because non-Euro countries are still preparing for adopting the Euro? Maybe because even the Greeks feel more comfortable within EU and the Eurozone than outside of them?
But are those reasons to deprive citizeds of a democratic referendum which gives a choice other than more and more European integration?
And then when the pro Euro side loses the referendum to simply ignore the results or force them to re-vote as has happened repeatedly?
Polls out in France this week indicate that if Maastricht was subject to a re-vote it would lose by close to 70% It barely won in the 1990's by 51% to 49% anyway. Why not subject that to a re-vote? If the polls go the other way in favor of more Europe you can bet your last Euro there will NEVER be a re-vote!
If it is so great, why so much fear of democratic referendums that are organized in a way that does not have governments try to sway the outcome?
The policy in Brussels is that governments decide in their all night negotiating sessions and then have an obligation to go back to their national body politics and sell the treaties to their citizens!
What kind of Democracy is this?
Even if that is the case, the most recent poll results are not clear at all.
It sounds like we are both citing the IFOP poll no the front page of yesterday's LeFigaro.
Two questions were posed; first was if you were allowed a re-vote on Maastricht, 64 % said they would vote no on it.
Second question was would you like to go back to the Franc, 65 % said no.
In some of the English translations, including in the Daily Telegraph of London the second question was mis translated, they posed it as would you like to leave Euro or go back to Franc so when the same two questions posed by the exact same pollster at the same time they appeared to give opposite impossible results.
But when you look at the original publication you understand.
Like so many thing she Devil is in the details.
Definitely not. But we should not organise a referendum (which costs couple of tens of millions at least) each time someone feels dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. Actually I think that the French Constitution clearly specifies the reasons for organising a referendum (redefining the powers of the state institutions, reforms or the ratification of a treaty which is incompatible with the Constitution). So the law which is the backbone of Franch democracy says that the question whether France should leave the EU or the Eurozone is not to be answered through a referendum, but through other measures.
Otherwise I agree with you that, as the polls show, the French are a bit confused,.
The United States is a REPUBLIC and is not a Democracy.
There is a simple reason for this, as Benjamin Franklin ""Democracy is two wolves and a lamb discussing what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
Throughout History Democracies have fallen prey to what is called "the tyranny of the majority". That is where smart politicians put together a coalition of "50%+1", so they have a majority, and then use that majority status to enrich and perpetuate their majority...normally at the expense of the minority. This is what we are seeing in Europe today, Democracy.
Referendums, can you really trust John Q Public to be able to make an intelligent decision based on the pros and cons and the facts of an important issue? There are far to many special interest groups with their spin doctors out there for me to trust a referendum.
As for the worry that the body politic is too easily swayed by special interests so referendums can't be trusted?
Well for one thing they have not been given much weight in the EU, if Brussels does not like the result, they simply ignore it (France an Netherlands on constitution) (Ireland and Denmark on various treaties) so I guess those who don't care for referendum democacy de-facto have their will in EU
Second on the question of special interests, take a guess about how many paid lobbyists have permanently set up shop in Brussels?
Do the lobbyists generally get their way at expense of people in commission and parliment?
Look at the fisheries of Europe and answer that question, or virtually everything else for that matter.
"can you really trust John Q Public to be able to make an intelligent decision based on the pros and cons and the facts of an important issue?"
Do you believe that politicians and bureaucrats generally make intelligent decisions based on the pros and cons and the facts of an important issue?
Many people in the world, from many different societies, think politicians are eternal liars and corrupt minded. Perhaps it is just that people think this when they are unhappy that an issue wasn't decided their way.
How strongly do you trust politicians over John Q Public? A little or a great deal?
Are politicians sometimes swayed by special interests?