Silva takes stand against “Merkozy”

Published on 13 October 2011 at 13:44

Cover

Following the example of Rome, Lisbon has moved to challenge the “Merkozy” couple and its vague attempt to control the destiny of the EU: Aníbal “Cavaco Silva has clearly taken up arms against Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy,” headlines Público. According to the Lisbon daily, the Portuguese President, while on a visit to Italy, expressed his concern over an "unrecognised EU board of directors, which treats community institutions with disdain and limits their room for manoeuvre." The head of state added that the emergence of this unmandated power was evidence of a "poorly chosen" and "dangerous" response to the European crisis.

According to Silva, the solution to the euro crisis should first and foremost be provided by "greater European economic governance," and a reinforcement of community method that would highlight the “pivotal role” played by the European Commission. This was “the speech that Europe needed,” announces an exultant Público. The newspaper argues that Cavaco knows “that fragile peripheral states like Portugal have everything to gain from a reinforcement of community institutions, and everything to lose if they are sidelined. This is probably the reason for his warning against the risk that power will be end up in the hands of member states — especially, the more powerful ones.”

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday
Tags

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic