Punishing the victims - a beginner's guide to the EU and the crisis | Corporate Europe Observatory

Punishing the victims - a beginner's guide to the EU and the crisis | Corporate Europe Observatory:

The eurocrisis has changed the face of the European Union. In its wake, new laws and untransparent governance mechanisms are being put in place that lock in austerity for citizens, and secure deregulation for business. Despite the fact that an unregulated financial market was one of the key causes of the crisis, it is Europe's populations who are being punished. The biggest threats to democracy, welfare and social rights in Europe today are the 'Troika' and the new system of neoliberal 'economic governance' being instated, with little public discussion, by the EU. This beginners' guide to the EU's austerity policies and the attack on social rights explains what rules have already been put in place – and some of what to expect next.