Killing the romance and deliciousness of eating is not something the EU should be dabbling in, given its poor record on secret and often inscrutable governance.

May 04, 2013 - Znet

When nations such as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy tried to slow down the rate at which their debts were rising, the results were absolutely devastating. A full-blown economic depression is raging across southern Europe and it is rapidly spreading into northern Europe. Eventually it will spread to the rest of the globe as well.

Hit 'em again harder is policy. Cyprus is Exhibit A. It's pound of flesh demanded got greater. "Could it possibly get any worse," headlined Cyprus Mail?"

By Dietmar Henning - 6 April 2013

Large sections of the European population are paying with their health, if not their lives, for the European Union (EU)-dictated austerity measures...Numerous reports from Greece and Spain describe the despair and misery of the people as a result of the crisis: children who collapse in school from hunger; parents driven by poverty and desperation to send their children to care homes; pensioners who rummage through garbage for food...“In Greece, unemployment today means death.”

Grand theft is official Cypriot policy.

Nicosia looks "eerie." Streets are deserted. People are glued to television for late news. "There is total desperation. The smiles have gone. Nothing like this ever happened before."

Solutions worse than problems don't resolve them. Cypriots face protracted hard times.

It's all over but the post mortems. Eurocrats demanded their pound of flesh. Cypriot officials surrendered.

When politicians conspire with bankers, ordinary people suffer most. Cypriot crisis conditions continue. One bad plan follows others.

What's ahead bodes ill for Cypriots.

By Jordan Shilton and Chris Marsden - 23 March 2013

Cyprus’ fate illustrates how the European Union imposes the dictatorship of the global speculators, banks and corporations on the working class. The EU yesterday continued to demand massive austerity in Cyprus to raise €6 billion ($7.8 billion) in return for a €10 billion bank bailout.

Cyprus is tiny. Its population numbers about a million. Its GDP is miniscule by Western standards. It's 0.2% of Europe's economy. It's entrapped under Eurozone straightjacket rules. They impose financial tyranny. Dissimilar countries surrender monetary and fiscal control. Doing so abandons effective ways to combat recessions.

By Jordan Shilton - 4 March 2013

Ireland’s Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition have agreed [to] a new three-year plan with the trade unions which will see another €1 billion (US$1.3 billion) eliminated from public spending...The new plan targets public sector workers for pay cuts, longer working hours and the elimination of jobs. The working week will be increased for those working 35 hours or less to 37 hours, and for those working more than 35 hours to 39 or 40 hours. Evening overtime pay has been done away with, while increased pay for working on a Sunday has been cut by 12.5 percent.

The U.S. and EU have agreed to launch negotiations on what would be the world's largest free trade deal. Such an agreement would be the basis for the creation of an economic NATO and would include trade in goods, services and investment, as well as cover intellectual property rights. There are concerns that the U.S. could use these talks to push the EU to loosen its restrictions on genetically modified crops and foods. In addition, the deal might serve as a backdoor means to implement ACTA which was rejected by the European Parliament last year.

Benedict XVI represents the worst of reactionary theocrats. Expect more of the same from his successor. It's longstanding policy. It’s the Vatican way.