European Union Follow

The political crisis faced by the ruling classes of Europe deepened this week.

Alex Callinicos recently argued in these pages that the global economic crisis is far from over. The ink had hardly dried on his words when the crisis in Spain started growing to "Greek" proportions.

Portugal’s transport system was paralysed by a public sector general strike on Thursday of last week. Workers were taking action against labour reforms and austerity measures imposed by the country’s creditors.

Governments across Europe are set on imposing cuts that will wreck lives, slash jobs and destroy services. But resistance is spreading.

New Year cheer is in short supply judging by the latest statements from European leaders. Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel, France’s president Nicolas Sarkozy and Italy’s president Giorgio Napolitano all began the year by warning of more pain to come.

The summit of European Union (EU) leaders last week marked a turning point in the development of the euro crisis. Their previous attempt to fix the crisis in late October ran out of steam just two days after it was agreed.

What is the "eurozone"?

The robber barons of Europe have fallen out—but their rows are an expression of a much deeper crisis. They face the prospect of economic catastrophe.

Tens of thousands of people protested against austerity in Brussels on Friday of last week. Large parts of Belgium’s transport system were shut down by strikes.

Italians have been celebrating the downfall of their hated prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who resigned in disgrace last night (Saturday).

In arguing against a Greek departure from the eurozone some on the left are mistakenly conflating the EU and workers' internationalism

A couple of weeks ago the economist Paul Krugman said he was "both terrified and bored" by the eurozone crisis. I know what he means.