Marica Frangakis: The Multiple Meanings of EU Exit and Their Implications for the Future of Europe

A significant change has taken place in the EU state of affairs in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, which morphed into a debt crisis in the Eurozone. What was thus far unthinkable became a possibility.  The exit of a member state from the Union came to be contemplated, speculated and acted upon. More 

The slides:

Leonidas Vatikiotis: Answers on the Workshop Questions

In a few words, everything has changed. Given that in Greece, the GDP has decreased more than 26% (something that has never happened again during peace period) and is going to decrease even more during 2016, the crisis has been proven to be the most significant turning point in the postwar period. More

Etienne Balibar, Sandro Mezzadra, Frieder Otto Wolf: The Brussels Dictat: And What Followed

Does the unjust and forced ‘agreement’ between the Greek government (now facing the task of ratifying the agreement in the Vouli) and the other states in the European Union (not all of whom feel the necessity for such a sanction) mark the end of one era and the beginning of another? More

Marica Frangakis: Public Debt Crisis, Austerity and Deflation: The Case of Greece

Greece is the country in which the eurozone’s public debt crisis began in late 2009. The policy response of the EU elites was to provide financial assistance on condition that a strict austerity-cum-deregulation policy is applied under the watchful guidance of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF (the so-called Troika). Five years later, the country is in an economic, social and political limbo, as a debt Deflation process has set in. More

Power Relations, Balance of Forces

This post will pursue two aims: one, the individual communication has brought us to the conclusion that we should focus much more upon power relations. The development of the EU should be discussed much more in a horizon of debates which go way beyond discussions among governments. Two, the performance of the left Greek government is not a problem of more or less opportunism. The application of the scenario method really only makes sense when it is carried out in connection with possible developments of the relations of forces, starting with the analysis of its current conjuncture.  Continue reading Power Relations, Balance of Forces