Almost all analysts confirm that indicators of an improving economic performance in Europe have become rosier in past weeks. After all, at some stage the stagnation and indeed recession that prevailed since the financial crisis of 2008 would have had to make way for recovery. At long last, all EU economies (with the possible exceptions of Greece and Cyprus) are registering growth.
However why does confidence in the future remain so hesitant? Officials from the European Commission, the IMF and the European Central Bank, as well as university academics, make serial proclamations that the recovery is still ”fragile”. True, recent experience induces caution. More than once in past years, they had announced that the worst was over, only for negative prospects to return.
From what can be concluded as of now, the biggest problem is that the continued improvement which is envisaged will have a relatively mild impact on jobs. At a time when unemployment in Europe has reached unprecedentedly high levels, it is understandable that undue optimism is being reined in.
The economic situation may be improving but it is not providing encouragement to political parties which are in government and will soon be facing elections.
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Libya
Having listened to people who know Libya well or who have good contacts there, one is left with the impression that there is nobody in real control, and indeed the country could be in a state of anarchy. I was once again left with this impression last week when I attended a conference organized in Brussels at the European Parliament by the S & D group.
The worst crime committed by the Ghaddafi regime was that it did not allow the establishment and operation of viable institutions that could articulate the interests of the Libyan community. The skills needed to deal with interests that are different to one’s own were lost. Moreover, even the mutual recognition of interests and social obligations between different sectors of the society were left to fade out.
When Libyan representatives describe the situation in their country, you realize that they too are finding it difficult to understand which way forward they need to take in order to reach some form of agreement between all segments of the Libyan people.
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FIFA
At a time when transparency and accountability are considered as the most important values in public management, what has happened and is happening inside FIFA is totally out of synch with expectations. Any political party, democratic government or ”modern” business would have been hit by an earthquake were its top decision makers to be accused of corruption and other serious abuses, as is the case with FIFA.
Such a development would have immediately forced the resignation of the chief executive. Instead, while charges were being drawn up and filed, FIFA’s top executive was reelected to his post for another five years.
I cannot see how FIFA can still be credible as an organization.