Etiket: Economic Crisis

Apart from geographical and cultural similarities, Southern European countries also share, as a key feature, a combined and uneven capitalist development. This laid the basis for structural divisions along broad North-South lines, both at European level and within the countries themselves, with strident socio-economic gaps between different regions (e.g. North-South Italy). These divisions were consolidated and deepened by the process of European integration and the Eurozone in particular. This was most clearly reflected in the Eurozone crisis that started a decade ago, which particularly — although not exclusively (e.g. Ireland) — affected Southern member states. The new EU-wide economic crisis — built upon conditions that were in place before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — will bring back to surface those divisions in an even cruder fashion along clear class lines. In face of this, the best response will be the international solidarity and coordinated struggle of popular classes across the continent