Probably not many people waking up next Sunday 21 March will be aware that it is the International Day of Forests — but they should be.
Continue readingTag Archives: Romania
Brexit is not the only attack on EU freedoms
Brexit may be the most prominent attack on the European Union’s four freedoms, but it is by no means the only one. Subtler attacks are multiplying. If they are allowed to continue unchallenged, the EU will eventually crumble.
Increasingly authoritarian Romania takes over EU presidency
If Brexit does happen on March 29 this year, it will happen under the strangest possible presidency of the European Union: the Romanian presidency. While the role of president of the EU is all about openness, transparency and a love of democracy, the Romanian government seems to increase its preference for the opposites of these features.
The European Union’s most corrupt countries
A study about corruption published in December puts forth an interesting, and troubling, conclusion: some countries in the European Union perceive themselves as less corrupt than they actually are.
Romanians show the world the dangers of voting for populists
There were massive protests in Romania against a return of times when acts of corruption went unpunished. The protests lasted for two weeks, the biggest the country had seen since the 1989 revolution that culminated with the execution of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
Emerging Europe consumption at highest since 2008
Emerging markets have been in the doldrums recently but one region, which had been hard hit by the eurozone crisis, seems to be getting ready for a brisk upturn now.
Residential property bubble spreads: BIS data
The residential property bubble continues in countries like the UK and Sweden, but it seems to have spread to some other countries as well, according to data from the Bank for International Settlements.
Emerging markets currencies outlook for Q2
Emerging markets currencies will be one of the most affected asset classes when the Federal Reserve starts to hike interest rates, but actually some of them stand to benefit.
What the ECB’s quantitative easing means
The European Central Bank had no choice but to launch its own quantitative easing programme in the end. The jury is still out on whether it will work – but judging by the first reactions, it could actually mark the return to some sort of normality for the eurozone.
Swiss National Bank makes new victims
The Swiss National Bank’s shocking decision last week to scrap the cap that was preventing the Swiss franc from appreciating to more than 1.20 to the euro continues to play out in the markets.