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Europe’s fragile bonds

Greece is heading for default. If France and Germany decline to help, the eurozone—and Europe—could face disaster

By Wolfgang Munchau  
June 22, 2011
July 2011

Riot police guard the National Bank of Greece, Athens. Violent protests against the government’s austerity measures have paralysed the city

The eurozone is based on three pillars: loopholes, fudges and lies. They made this crisis inevitable. The propensity to fudge now makes any real resolution all but impossible, even if it contains the problem.

The fudges and loopholes stretch back to the deals that created the euro in the early 1990s. The Maastricht Treaty, in force from 1st November 1993, committed signatories to the new currency, which came into existence on January 1999. The eurozone’s advocates made promises that were…

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Wolfgang Munchau

Wolfgang Münchau is European Economic columnist for the FT and Director of eurointelligence.com

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