EU summit, people protested loudly
About 10,000 people protested outside the European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium on March 15.
According to Reuters, protesters carried banners such as "abolish austerity", "jail the banks", "cutting education budgets doesn't solve anything" and headed towards where European leaders were meeting for a summit.
"Drop all austerity and start listening to the people who are protesting in the streets across Europe," Pascoe Sabido told Reuters, who left Britain for Belgium after losing his job.
People protest outside the EU summit headquarters despite unseasonable snowfall - Photo: AP
About 150 activists from Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Italy announced the occupation of the headquarters of EU economic commissioner Olli Rehn - who is accused of plunging southern Europe into recession and debt. The group was forced to leave when Belgian police arrived.
Jobs and growth continue to dominate the summit. Around 26 million people across the 27 EU member states, including 7 million young people, are currently unemployed. The eurozone has been in recession for more than a year and unemployment – the BBC reports – is currently around 12%.
From Brussels, French President Francois Hollande urged the European Commission to introduce flexible budget targets. According to the BBC, France is expected to miss its deficit reduction target this year.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti argued that Italy and other EU countries facing public finances should be allowed to boost spending to create jobs. Monti warned his European counterparts that “public support for the reform agenda and, worse, for the EU, is rapidly declining.” This will be Monti’s last EU summit.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is determined to maintain austerity policies and tight budget management to avoid any disruptions that could cause market instability.
AP reported that leaders said they were fully aware that public anger was approaching dangerous levels, but instead of actively proposing new solutions, they wanted to continue maintaining the old way.
The EU summit will end tomorrow, March 16.
According to Tuoi Tre - DT
