Angela Merkel may not be smiling to welcome Francois Hollande Tuesday night. The Christian Democrats (CDU) of German Chancellor Sunday suffered a stinging defeat in a regional election in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state in Germany.
According to partial results yet, the federal opposition Social Democrats (SPD) won the election with 38% of the vote. Environmentalists have raised 12% of the vote, the SPD-Green coalition outgoing should continue to govern this state.
For its part the CDU has collected approximately 25.5% of the votes, or about 9 points lower than in 2010, her worst score ever recorded in this region. This defeat adds to a long series for black liberal-conservative coalition in power in Berlin since 2009, it failed to surpass the 5% in six regional elections, and lost its historical stronghold of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
Merkel remains popular in polls
Although the North Rhine-Westphalia is a historical bastion of the left, this result sounds like a warning to the Chancellor, to 16 months of the legislation. A week after voters in France and Greece have shown that they wanted more austerity, the Germans of this region of western countries have chosen the SPD, very critical of the policy austerity practiced by the Chancellor. "This defeat is bitter, clear and it really hurts," admitted the local leader of the CDU, also Environment Minister Merkel, Norbert Röttgen. He at the same time tried to protect the Chancellor, ensuring that it was "above all (his) defeat" and resigning from the regional party.
If his party string of electoral defeats, Angela Merkel seems to always enjoy great personal popularity. National polls show that the Germans know it will promote fiscal austerity to cure ailing eurozone. Besides, in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Free Democrats, staunch supporters of austerity, collected 8.5% of the vote, nearly triple the 3% they receive from national surveys. However the formation of extreme left Die Linke – model Jean-Luc Melenchon – has not passed the 5% threshold of votes necessary for MPs.
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Angela Merkel will host the new president of the French Republic "with open arms," but firmly defend its rigorous design of economic policy in Europe.
The Chancellor reiterated on Monday that it intends to oppose the limits to the will of Francois Hollande to enrich the fiscal pact of measures to support growth. "The Growth Pact is not negotiable. [...] It is not possible to renegotiate everything after each election ", otherwise" Europe no longer works, "said Merkel at a news conference. "Greece could also ask to renegotiate" the austerity plan that it implements in exchange for international aid, for example, she warned. The spokesman for Angela Merkel, Steffen Seibert, also reiterated on Monday that 25 out of 27 countries had adopted the pact in the snatch a few months ago, and it was therefore "impossible" to renegotiate. Greece, Portugal and Slovenia have already ratified.
Angela Merkel, provided, opened the door to the adoption of a new Growth Pact for the euro area, which would add to fiscal pact. But it has clearly defined the limits between what is acceptable and what is not. "Germany is not a growth deficit, but growth through structural reforms", said Steffen Seibert on Monday. In line with about Mario Draghi, the chairman of the European Central Bank (ECB), German Chancellor intends to primarily boost growth in Europe through increased competitiveness, notably by reforming the labor market.
"Working well and intensively"
For his part, Francois Hollande called for a resumption of growth through capital investment in infrastructure, new energy and industry bad credit pay day loans. The Socialist would draw upon the European Investment Bank (EIB), he wants to strengthen, and remount the EU tax on financial transactions. The contrast with Chancellor Angela Merkel would be so much more frontal Francois Hollande wanted to introduce shared Eurobonds, or reform the statutes of the ECB. The two countries should compare their respective growth strategies in the coming weeks. Chancellor, who invited the new president on Sunday in Berlin, said she was ready to "work hard and intensively" with him. According to Pierre Moscovici, former campaign manager Francois Hollande, one visit may be scheduled "shortly after May 15."
The subject should also be an informal meeting announced by the President of the European Union, Herman van Rompuy, to the end. This meeting will aim to prepare the EU summit on June 28 and 29 devoted to growth and employment. Paragon of austerity in Europe, Germany is on this point more and more isolated. Several countries have called in recent weeks to further stimulate growth in Europe, without their strategies converge systematically. In addition to Greece, whose austerity policy has been sanctioned by the urns, Italy, Belgium and Ireland, in particular, were pleased on Monday to see growth back at the heart of the European agenda.
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One of the first stars to have turned in an advertisement for PepsiCo was James Dean. It was in 1950.
Since, there are many who have lent their brand image, including Michael Jackson in the 1980s. Following an agreement between the managers of agribusiness etles image of the former king of pop, this will again be the case in 2012 faxless cash advances.
The limited edition Pepsi cans bearing the likeness of Michael Jackson. Photo credits: Uncredited / AP
The time is in final preparation for town hall in France, before the presidential election. For the latter, the bill for the organization of these exceptional weekend will be more or less salty. According to the Association of Mayors of France, you need a budget of around 15,000 euros per day to vote for an average city of 20,000 inhabitants. "This represents about 1 per registered voter," said Philip Lawrence, vice president of the Association and Mayor of Sceaux (Hauts de Seine).
According to the latter, the bulk of this budget is absorbed by personnel costs unusually mobilized for the weekend of presidential and legislative elections. "On Saturday, the day before voting, employees adjust any polls that are often located in public buildings or classrooms. The number of desktop depends on the number of registered voters, knowing that it takes no more than 1000 voters for an office. In a city like seals, so they are 14 offices that are developed, "says the mayor of this town of Hauts-de-Seine. "Then the Sunday vote, you have two people permanently. That's two teams of two for a 12-hour day, which must be added the support staff to ensure that everything goes well. " At Sceaux, there are 100 municipal employees who will be on duty for each day of voting.
For them, the days are long lasting and beyond counting. But allow them to receive a specific payment. "This is the most expensive for the town hall. There are many volunteers in the office but their role is only to monitor, register voters, get them signed. Requires municipal employees on site, such certificates to those who do not have their voter registration card, "said Philip Lawrence.
The presidential ballots be borne by the State
These are not purchasing urns or damaged booths that make invoice salt. These are purchased from private companies such as Form XL, the leading provider of French municipalities. Meuse in this business, it takes 94 to 327 euros for a traditional ballot box and 213 to 425 euros for one to three polling booths in places. "These expenditures, investment in the budget of the city, are negligible and are amortized from one election to another," says Philip Lawrence.
So what is the state to relieve the town halls? The latter is involved in all these costs up to 2,500 euros, according to AMF. Prefectures establish "cost of assembly, composed of a fixed amount per polling station and an amount based on the number of voters," says one to the Ministry of Interior. The envelope stuffing and mailing of election propaganda (posters, leaflets, creed and ballots) to voters is the responsibility of prefectures which in turn mobilize staff or rely on outside providers.
The State shall also be responsible for printing and mailing of ballots to municipalities for president, according to the memento sent to candidates by the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs. For legislative candidates and print their ballots may be reimbursed for these expenses if they obtain at least 5% of the votes cast in the first round. But the rules are strict: the paper used must contain at least 50% recycled or benefit "of an international certification for sustainable forest management." According to the Senate, the total estimated cost of the presidential election for the state and is estimated at 217.3 million euros. That of the general elections is estimated at 122.3 million euros this year.
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The sports market takes shape. According to a PwC study, the activity related to events and sports clubs is 3.5 billion euros in France and the sector is estimated to grow 3.7% per year by 2015 (*).
Manufacturers, distributors, sports structures show increasing needs, including commercial. BTS MUC (management of business units) and DUT have flourished in this area and the area is muscle. The CESNI ESC Chambery launched its bachelor three years ago.
New programs
The NCPC will open his next term. In thirty years, this specialist trade training sport has developed some forty chains to bac + 2. "Our management bachelor of commerce sports meets an urgent demand from business managers in skilled, high scalability," says Gerard Pouet, general manager of CNPC.
To match the market requirements, schools can not do enough. At the School of Business Sports Management Amos, the third year of the bachelor is necessarily alternating and MBS (Master of business in sport) a six-month business. Sports Management School (SMS) has its first class bachelor's and MBA this year. "Our goal is to train our students in areas ranging from major retail clubs. The third and fifth years will pass half in business, "says Michael Tapiro, executive director of the school (EDC group). Best of all, every young person has a sponsor – elite athletes, club manager, a business manager in the sport … – which opens on the sector.
Distributors and manufacturers think global and act local. Last year, about 62 Decathlon stores open, 51 have been in Europe and beyond (China, Russia, India …). The courses are so heavily loaded with language, include seminars abroad, promote exchanges. The MSc in Sports and Outdoor Industry Management starting in September at EM Lyon will take place on its campuses in Shanghai and Europe.
The market will he integrate all the newcomers? "Supermarkets and manufacturers are fond of our bachelors and alternating with more than 75% are within six months of the school year," says Patrick Touati, director and founder of Amos. The bachelor's CNPC starts in Pau with 30 students.
The higher the educational level increases, the opportunities are reduced. The Idrac will open in September 5th year of a major "sports entertainment spectacle" and remains modest. Of the 25 students met in most, from 10 to 15 actually find an outlet in the world of sports, "other work in other areas but they will capitalize on the sporting image and the diploma," says the director of international program high school, Maxence Fontanel.
(*) Study on the PwC global market opportunities in sport, in December 2011.
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The seventeen countries of the euro reached an agreement Friday to raise 500 to 800 billion euros their "firewall" against financial crisis. Germany has dropped the ballast, but the compromise is far from meeting the expectations of the European Commission, IMF and OECD.
The envelope, which represents a theoretical capacity of loans, includes three components: 500 000 000 000 ahead for the European Stability Mechanism (SPM) which will be launched in July, 200 billion already committed by the temporary fund established in 2010 (EFSF) and 100 billion in loans already spent or pledged various EU.
This elaborate structure – and perhaps questionable because it mixes future and past – allows everyone to say it held its position. For Germany, it was essential to avoid having to raise the ceiling of the MES to avoid another vote in the Bundestag payday loan. Wolfgang Schäuble, the favorite in the race for the presidency of the Eurogroup, but agreed to keep alive a year for the EFSF, which temporarily inflate the pot.
In contrast, those that grew as the French Baroin a figure of around 1 trillion, did not get satisfaction. Discussed in Copenhagen, the project of an additional tranche of 240 billion to be used "in exceptional circumstances", has disappeared from the final declaration of the Eurogroup. Here too, Berlin has been successful. But the question remains the strength of the new firewall in the event of a major financial accident, involving, for example Spain or Italy.
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Unions of La Poste have been heard. Rocked by three suicides in six months, the postal group has taken the measure of social malaise that reigns within its walls. According to the Journal du Dimanche, its CEO, Jean-Paul Bailly, is expected to announce Monday a suspension until September of the reorganization of the branch e. A break of nearly six months during which discussions will be held with employees to improve their working conditions. At the local level, first, the regional offices of the Post Office will begin negotiations on the reduction of work patterns in post offices. At the national level, then, Jean-Paul Bailly launch the establishment of a "social warning unit" and could also release a budget to support the weakest agents, specify the sources cited by the weekly Sunday. Contacted by The Figaro.fr, the group was not immediately available for comment.
La Poste has accelerated its timetable for ending the crisis, after the suicide last Sunday as part of a group in Britain. In a folder left behind, this forty, who had been off long illness since November and was found hanged at his place of work in Brittany, had denounced a hard three years from its hierarchy. This was the second suicide in Breton Post in ten days. February 29, Jeremy Buan, a senior of 28 years, had committed suicide by jumping from the top floor of La Poste in Rennes, in the Ille-et-Vilaine. He too had reported his "outstanding work" in a letter released by his partner. Immediately, the Post Office had opened on Tuesday for talks with the unions on "health and welfare at work", promising that "proposals" would be made "before summer".
The bracketing, albeit provisional, of the restructuring of the business mail should satisfy the unions who denounced social climate "anxiety" since the suicide last September of a 52-year employee who was, also, défenestrée the fourth floor of the financial center of the 15th arrondissement in Paris payday loans. "This situation is unfortunately not unique to the post office," said Antoine Le Séguillon this week, a union representative GSC in Figaro.fr. "And it is not unique to Britain," he said hoping that the leadership would engage quickly "concrete actions".
Action plan against erosion mail
Faced with the erosion of its mail business, which it considered that the volumes would collapse by 30% over 2008-2015, the Post Office had drawn a new plan in 2009. Jean-Paul Bailly had emphasized that this branch should "reinvent themselves" by offering new services. Gradually, the schedules of post offices have been extended throughout France, robots have been installed to reduce waiting times for customers and, last September, The Post has completely redesigned its line of mail.
A strategy that has "paid off", welcomed the group during the presentation of its annual results on March 8. While lower volumes continued with a decrease of 3%, after falling 3.3% in 2010, the mail business recorded a turnover stable at EUR 11.5 billion (+ 0.3%), more than half of the total activity of La Poste. But for the unions, these good results have been costly to employees. According to the CGT, it was obtained "at a price of 10,091 job cuts" and an increase in sick leave.
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EU leaders breathed a sigh of relief Friday after the success of the voluntary exchange of Greek debt, 85.8% subscribed by private creditors. Within the euro area, this is Nicolas Sarkozy, who hosted the agreement with more enthusiasm. "I am pleased that we have found a solution to the Greek crisis plaguing the financial economic situation of Europe and the world for months," welcomed the French president, traveling to Nice election. "With Angela Merkel we worked day and night to find a solution," he recalled. "Today, the problem is solved, and the page of the financial crisis is beginning to turn" it was welcomed.
In Berlin, the reaction was more cautious. According to the spokesman of the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel is "encouraged" by the agreement. "It would be a big mistake to give the impression that the crisis is resolved," warned the German Minister Wolfgang Schauble Finances.Pour "an important step was taken, but we are not out of the woods."
The agreement sealed between Athens and its private creditors will erase 107 billion euros of debt, a total of 350 billion. This is a historic debt reduction. It must allow the Greek debt, which now reaches 160% of GDP, reaching 120.5% in 2020, a ratio similar to that of Italy.
"This agreement allows more to protect Europe from Greece to help that Greece itself" summarizes Jacob Kirkegaard, a researcher at Washington. Photo credits: Kostas Tsironis / Bloomberg
After twelve hours of marathon, the countries of the euro in the early morning concluded their negotiations on a solid support in Athens, to save him once again the bankruptcy. Assistance, debt forgiveness and contributions combined, Greece will have cost twenty months more than 350 billion euros to the EU, banks and international institutions. As much as the debt that the country continues to grow as Sisyphus his rock.
EU assistance in the night discussed by finance ministers, an amount of at least 130 billion euros, displayed more modest ambitions than the first 110 billion plan presented in May 2010 as a panacea. The 2012 version covers the next eight years, but eventually it no longer guarantees for certain relief initially hoped the debt burden (120% of GDP in 2020). It does not fill a growing distrust between Greece, is said bled dry, and creditors like Germany believe that it can never do enough.
In the calendar, the distress of Athens as important as the progress of complex financial dealings with governments, private banks, the IMF and the ECB. Under penalty of default, the government should realize Papademos an agreement with its creditors before March 20, deadline by which 14.5 billion of government bonds mature. "We must conclude today, because time is running out," said the president of the Eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker.
Continuous monitoring of the accounts of Athens
Faced with the enormity of the amounts, the sense of urgency was far from being shared across the currency area. North, capitals such as Berlin, The Hague and Helsinki took advantage of last hours to demand concessions maximum of Athens by suggesting, as the German Wolfgang Schäuble, a Greek bankruptcy would be manageable after all. To the south, others were alarmed instead of a possible contagion of bankruptcies in Portugal, Spain and even Italy, in the midst of a European recession saving account payday loan.
In the early hours of the morning, the agreement was tied on two parallel negotiations in Brussels. First erase the unprecedented 107-billion of private debt, accepted in principle by the banks but stumbled on an extra effort required by the euro area. "It's done and we have a good agreement," confided to 4:30 French banker Jean Lemierre at Figaro. Then a bailout of at least 130 billion euros financed by creditors themselves. It is this second part, agreed by governments, the IMF, the ECB and other central banks of the euro which validated the entire plan.
To reassure investors, and despite the anger of the street, the government is preparing to slash Papademos 3.3 billion more in its budget deficits through the envelopes of health insurance, minimum wage and defense . He also accepted a permanent monitoring of the EU and the IMF on its accounts. "The Greek people have made considerable efforts, it is now for others to do the same," let go a Christine Lagarde yet mindful of the IMF funds.
Politically, Athens refuses any loud and European tutelage and just show the vitriolic exchanges with Berlin. But in practice, Greece has made a surrender of sovereignty unique setting up a budget account blocked, intended to guarantee the repayment of debt and interest payments. The mechanism, suggested as a sign of confidence by Berlin and Paris, is to serve the foreign creditors before committing a penny of national public expenditure. Athens won an unmatched support after the night, but it will probably remain the Greeks the bitter taste of a potion imposed from outside
.
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