With friends like Washington, Brussels needs no enemies

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With friends like Washington, Brussels needs no enemies

West Wing Week: 07/12/13 or “Bring it On Brussels Sprout Wrap!”

This week, the White House hosted the second Annual Kids’ State Dinner, while the President laid out his vision for building a better, smarter, faster government, awarded the 2012 National Medals of Arts and Humanities, met with the Congressional Black and Congressional Hispanic Caucuses, and honored the Washington Kastles and the 1963 Ramblers.

Monday, July 8^th

• The President held a meeting with his Cabinet and senior officials to lay out his vision for building a better, smarter, faster government over the course of his second term. 


• Then, the President hosted the Champions of the World TeamTennis league, Washington Kastles, in the Oval Office

Tuesday, July 9^th

• The President met with the 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus to address a wide-ranging agenda. 


• Then, 54 young chefs visited the White House for the second annual Kids’ State Dinner, hosted by the First Lady.

Wednesday, July 10^th

• The President and Vice President met with the 27 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to discuss the need for the House to take action and pass commonsense immigration reform.


• Then, the President presented the 2012 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal to 24 deserving recipients.

Thursday, July 11^th

• The President invited the 1963 Loyola Ramblers championship basketball team to the Oval Office to mark the 50th anniversary of their win as well as the role the team played in breaking down racial barriers. 

Related Topics: Inside the White House, Pennsylvania

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West Wing Week: 07/12/13 or “Bring it On Brussels Sprout Wrap!”

Merkel To Brussels On Fiscal Union: "Nein"

Submitted by Pater Tenebrarum via Acting-Man blog,

Merkel: Let"s Rather Not

A German election is drawing close and it is evident in many small things that are happening lately. The latest is that Mrs. Merkel is now apparently distancing herself from her erstwhile demands to create a "fiscal union" and give the eurocracy in Brussels more powers. Incidentally, her change of heart comes shortly after her summit with France"s president Hollande, which indicates that the latter has probably let her know that France is none too happy with the idea either. Since this means that the drive toward more centralization will be slowed down, we take it as good news.

 

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out against handing the European Commission more powers, in the clearest sign yet that she is reining in her ambitions to create a "fiscal union" in which euro members cede control of their budgets to Brussels.

 

The comments, made in an interview with weekly Der Spiegel, come days after Merkel held talks with President Francois Hollande in Paris and the two unveiled joint proposals for the future shape of the euro area, including the creation of a permanent president of the Eurogroup forum of finance ministers.

 

Merkel spoke out strongly in favour of closer fiscal integration last year, but France and some other euro members have deep doubts about ceding sovereignty — a step which would require politically sensitive changes to the EU treaty — and Berlin appears to have realized that this resistance is too great to overcome for now.

 

With a German election looming in September and a new anti-euro party threatening to eat into support for her conservative bloc, Merkel may also be adjusting her message for voters at home, many of whom are leery about ceding national powers.

 

"I see no need in the next few years to give up more powers to the Commission in Brussels," Merkel said in the interview, adding that she agreed with Hollande on EU member states cooperating more on economic issues.

 

"We are thinking for example of the labour and pension markets but also of tax and social policy. Economic policy coordination in Europe is far too weak, it must be strengthened and this is rather different to giving more competences to Brussels," she said.”

(emphasis added)

She still talks about the alleged need for "more policy coordination", but luckily handing more powers to the bureaucrats in Brussels seems to be off the table for now. It will be interesting to see how the bureaucratic caste ensconced in Brussels will react to these news.

 

"Frau Europa" becomes "Frau Deutschland" again.

Zero Hedge

Merkel To Brussels On Fiscal Union: "Nein"