Europe’s growing prosperity gap Outside the Box - MarketWatch

"The Franco-German plan, which would force members of the European Union to coordinate many social and economic policies like retirement ages and debt limits that have traditionally been dictated by individual nations, was immediately panned by the zone’s smaller countries. France and Germany have since signaled a willingness to address some of the concerns of their European brethren.

As they work out the details, European leaders must recognize that simply restoring the balance sheets of the continent’s ailing economies will not save the euro zone. If EU policy makers are to have any hope of preserving the common currency, they must also address Europe’s prosperity gap."

Krækja; Europe’s growing prosperity gap Outside the Box - MarketWatch

How Germany Became the China of Europe - TIME

"Some 80% of Germany's trade surplus is with the rest of the European Union. The more German industry excels, the more other Europeans feel that Germany's success comes at their expense, cracking open schisms within the euro zone just when the region can least afford them. 'There is frustration with Germany,' says André Sapir, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank. 'Germany is moving ahead, but what are they doing for the rest of Europe? . . .

Krækja: How Germany Became the China of Europe - TIME