I'm awful at keeping all of this straight. I think it's horrible the current state of some countries situations, but I'm curios about some news I heard prior on the forums. I heard that there is a corporation running in Europe that "Helps" get countries into the European dollar organization. I heard they "helped" Greece and other countries. They did it by "balancing" their books by shifting numbers around to let Greece look healthy and meet the requirements to join. However if that was the case these "balanced" figures are just hold overs and funny money that doesn't really exist. If this is the case why is this company allowed to do such practicices. Wasn't this the company that was trying to push countries that don't make the requirements into the EU. If this was the case then doesn't this just drag down the entire EU when the pushed debt numbers come back.

Maybe I got this information wrong and I'm missing something, but it sounds like the winner are the companies who push this kind of funny numbering. I also liked the example with Mary's Bar. Seriously it sounds like banks are screwing up a whole lot. Just gotta love Free Market.

They are pressured into taking very harsh measures to get their budgets back to healthy levels.

I can't think of integration that would be specific for one nation.

Interest rates have also been recently climbing on Belgian and German bonds. Once the markets are through with the PIIGS, investors are worried about whether Germany and other core Eurozone countries can handle the bailout costs.

The more you lend to a deadweight, the more you become a deadweight.

The end of the Eurozone is nigh. It's either Eurozone countries giving up fiscal sovereignty, or  the end of the project. I don't believe Europe is ready for the former, and I don't think they (responsibly) should be for a very, very long time.

Of course, we cannot guarantee that the UK will always be able to service the debt, we're lucky at the moment, as the markets approve of the coalitions spending cuts... but we must emphasise "at the moment". The more sceptical investors becomes about European bonds in general, the more the UK has to cut to keep the investors happy (after all, large chunks of our economy are tied to the EU)... the Gov't can only cut so much at any one time, too much and they face social unrest - which politicians don't like... PARTICULARLY when the Government is based on a coalition.

There have been rumours circulating recently of a downgrading in France's credit rating. This will result in the interest rates rising in all European bonds.

It goes always between 'it goes well' and doom..

It is not doomed like some believe;..more doomed than it ever was though;..

When Greece was doomed the EU countries put already 750 billion aside if Spain or Portugal need it...
it is something that people forget easy when they go on with the doom of the Eu zone..

Anway the sad thing is that Ireland was one of the countries that really needed the Euro, before the Euro it was a country known for paying high debt interest rates and it was even that bad that they needed an devaluation in the 90's can't remember exactly when...

And if they didn't had joined the Euro nobody would care if they were doing horrible..

Then it would be just like Iceland, Iceland's debt doubled in two years from 60% in 2008 to 120%, how much do you hear about them? Yeah nothing, sure it has a small population but it is not like Ireland is a second UK or Germany..

How the Euro will do the next months no idea, It was doing terrible when the problems were in Greece, then one month after it was doing okay again...And now this happens with Ireland...

Belgium needs a bailout?  it all depends how much the ones who are making money of this crisis on the market want it...But it would be strange though..

The unemployed rate is lower than the average of EU..8,5% compared to 10%...
And the last 5 months the unemployed rate is decreasng (slowly though), their debt(increase) is around 5% I don't know what is the average of EU but would I guess wrong if it is higher? They were lucky that before the crisis they were already saving a lot of money to pay of their debt, they can't pay it off now but it helps to a not that hight debt increase. It also helps they are the belong to the biggest savers in Europe an the government's debt is basically in the hands of it's own population...Only worries is not having government but their interim government is still doing ok..

Just to summarize..it has never been that doomed before but on the other hand if it was so doomed why they still let Estonia join next month the Euro..?

The only thing that bothers me now in EU is the fucking cold weather and I think I am not speaking for myself only... (ofcourse the only country having great weather is Greece 25°!!)...

This. Investors are not worried that the UK will default on its debt.

It's purely a confidence issue. If no one believes default will occur then it never will, and vice versa.