Can Greeks already welcome a Happy New Year?

The time has finally come in Athens. The impossibility to elect the President of the Republic by the Hellenic Parliament has caused the announcement of new elections in January 2015. 

Syriza is considered the winner of the next elections and many observers have written about the possible problems of a government leaded by Alexis Tsipras, who promises a renegotiation of the Memorandum with the Troika.

The Hellenic Parliament in Athens

Europe is scared by the result of the elections. But why?

There are two considerations to do. First, even if Syryza can win the elections, it is not automatic that Tsipras will be also able to create a government. It seems that the other parties are more inclined to keep the Memorandum than having contrasts with European Union and, especially, with Germany. On the other hand, it is improbable that Greece will be able to break the Memorandum or exit from Euro. Brussels and Berlin can keep quiet.

Second observation: as citizens of European Union, can we be satisfied about the management of the crisis in Greece as well as in the rest of Europe? The economic situation is not better than 5 years ago in Athens, the salaries are much lower, the unemployment is the highest in Europe. 

What can we expect from 2015? We can just hope that something will really change: we need a new vision of Europe, new ideas of how to solve the economic and social problems that are killing our generation in favor of few people that have the power and the privileges.

What Greece and Greeks are paying for the crisis is a shame for us. It is a shame for Brussels, as well as for Berlin and Paris.

After the announcement of new elections, Tsipras said that Greeks can already welcome a "Happy new year". Let's hope that it will be a real NEW year and not just the continuation of a sad and demoralizing past.

Happy 2015!

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Are Turkish events a huge failure of European Union?

What's happening in Turkey?

Few days ago two heads of police and at least 24 journalists have been arrested in 13 different cities. The Director of the newspaper Zaman, Ekrem Dumanli, and the Director of the broadcasting Samanyolu, Hidayet Karaca have been also included in the list.

It seems that those events are the result of an internal war inside the right wing of the Turkish politics. In particular, a contraposition between Endogan, President of Turkey and leader of AKP and Muhammed Fethullah Gülen, leader of an Islamic movement and considered by Erdogan author of the corruption scandal of the last year that deeply touched AKP.

Protests at the Headquarter of Zaman, in Ankara

Turkey is the country with the highest number of journalists in prisons in the World: 40 journalist, against 35 in Iran, 32 in China, 22 in Eritrea and 18 in Vietnam, following the report of the Committee to protect journalists.

European Union condemned the arrests, conflicting the freedom of press, one of the fundamental value of democracy and of Eu itself. But which are the responsibilities of Eu in the authoritative deviation of Turkey?

There are two main points of view presented in these days. Someone is pointing out how Turkey is not at all "aligned" to the European values and so it is not possible imagine an accession to Eu, now and never. Some others see the current situation as the consequence of a not-choice of the European Institutions about the adhesion of Turkey. 

It is clear that Europe didn't want a powerful Turkey inside their institutions. If Ankara have had entered in the Eu, it would have been the second most populated Country after Germany and the first military force, modifying the fragile balance that is still allowing the existence of the Union itself. 

Even if Europe didn't want a Turkey inside, would it have been possible a stronger relationship with Ankara? Would it have been possible to help the democratization of Turkey and therefore the  stabilization of all the area, where Ankara plays a central role?

But Brussels adopted another positions, well synthesized from the cartoon below, published in 2004 (but always current) by the International Herald Tribune.  A Turkish couple wants to enter in the Eu door and someone on the top of the wall says: "If I open the door, do you promise me not to enter?".

Source: International Herald Tribune (2004)

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