Friday, March 25, 2011

And now they are 23 (the EU's Europlus Pact)

Last night, after the 1st day of the European Council, its President announced that
in addition to the Eurozone 17, 6 more EU member states have agreed to join the Eurozone Competitiveness Pact, now know as the Europlus Pact.

The 6 are: Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania, Lithuania and Latvia

So the Europlus Pact participants are 23 (17+6), ie the EU 27 minus the following:
1) UK
2) Czech R.
3) Hungary and
4) Sweden


Here is a composite political map of the 4 EU member states that are not joining the Europlus Pact (Sweden, UK, Czech R., Hungary):

The 4 governments include 9 parties:

a) 2 are members of the AECR European political party
b) 4 of the EPP and
c) 3 of the ELDR

Map by country:

1) Czech Rep.: ODS (member of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR))

2) Hungary: Fidesz-KDNP (both members of EPP)

3) UK: The Conservatives (members of Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR)) & the LibDems (ELDR)


4) Sweden The Alliance ("Alliansen") hold minority gov at 2010 election. 4 parties in it, 2 EPP, 2 ELDR members

Notes:

1) Of the countries that participated in Cameron's UK-Nordics-Baltics Forum a few weeks ago, only the UK and Sweden did not join the Euro Plus Pact!
2) Of the Nine EU governments that submitted the "post-crisis growth plan" (Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, the NL, Sweden , the UK) only 2, UK and Sweden, decided to keep their countries outside the Euro Plus Pact.


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