Total EU public sector debt is shrouded in mystery
The totality of the public sector liabilities of EU and Eurozone member states is clouded in obscurity. The key measure tracked by Eurostat – ‘General government gross debt’ – is circumvented to such an extent that, based on year-end 2021 figures, debts of around €6.4 trillion failed […]
EU public sector entities harbour a debt mountain
The EU member states contain numerous public sector entities with borrowing powers, and whose debts fall outside the definition of member state debt as reported by Eurostat. The responsibility for the debts tracks back, one way or another, to the member state but the amounts involved are opaque. […]
Sir John Redwood in conversation about the issues of EU and Eurozone debts as raised in my book ‘The shadow liabilities of EU Member States, and the threat they pose to global financial stability’.
Sir John Redwood on the debts of EU and Eurozone
EU banking system has a tiny loss cushion
EU authorities have permitted commercial banks to implement a particularly aggressive form of risk-evaluation methodology, the result of which is the ability to claim a thick loss-absorption cushion and to attest that the EU banking system is stable and resilient. It isn’t: cushions are as thin as before […]
The Eurosystem is a commercial bank with no capital
The Eurosystem has expanded its operations well beyond what a central bank would have traditionally undertaken. It now owns assets that are not ‘central bank money’ definitionally. Assets have credit ratings as low as BB in the Standard and Poor’s system, which means they are ‘Speculative Grade’ […]
Bruges Group blog on EU breaches of regulation
You will have seen that the EU and UK just announced a Memorandum of Understanding on regulatory matters to do with financial services:https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_23_2805The issues in my book – ‘The shadow liabilities of EU Member States, and the threat they pose to global financial stability’ – are regulatory issues […]
TARGET2 imblances are double what the ECB reports
There has been long and ongoing debate about the nature of the sizeable loans and deposits that the Eurozone national central banks (NCBs) run with one another within the TARGET2 payment system. The debate has overlooked that the balances are nearly double what the European Central Bank (ECB) […]
ECB programmes have created a major risk for Eurozone member states
The programmes of the European Central Bank (ECB) are extensive, and involve greater risks than the ECB can bear, it being very thinly capitalized. Even modest losses on its programmes would require it to be recapitalized by its Eurozone shareholders – the national central banks […]
Net Zero is a perfect cover story for the EIB and EIF
Net Zero is proving to be a good cover story for the European Investment Bank Group to create huge financial liabilities for the EU taxpayer. The amount looks set to exceed €1.2 trillion by the end of the current EU budget period in 2027.
This […]
Misleading account at the European Stability Mechanism
The European Stability Mechanism is the main bailout mechanism behind the euro. Croatia recently joined it upon adopting the euro. The ESM uses two accounting tricks to make it appear larger and more robust than it actually is, disguising that it lacks the firepower to deal with a major […]