Angela Merkel has held the post of Chancellor of Germany

Angela Merkel has held the post of Chancellor of Germany. German voters gave conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel a second term on general election on Sunday and allowed her to dump her center-left coalition partners in favor of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).  Exit-polls showed Merkel’s conservative bloc – the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) – on about 33,5 percent, down from their score of 35.2 percent in 2005.  In this election, FDP rising to just under 15 percent, above their 9.8 percent score of four years ago.

Getting this new mandate in conditions of economic crisis means a great achievement for Angela Merkel. Even if she have to take into account the requirements of governing partner. How will carry this new alliance? Analysts believe that together with the FDP, Chancellor Merkel would be expected to push for tax relief and extend the lifespan of German nuclear plants that are scheduled to be phased out over the next decade. As regards foreign policy is not expected to essential changes. There will be a natural relationship with the EU. And stronger partnerships with Russia and France.

German Social Democrats (SPD) received results from exit polls in silence. The SPD, on about 23 percent, suffered their worst result in the postwar era.

Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum (BSEEF) Bucharest – inaugural edition

Between September 30 to October 2 at the JW Marriott in Bucharest – Romania will be held the inaugural edition of the Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum. The event is organized by the Atlantic Council of the United States, with support from the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania.

According to indications from the organizers, “The Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum (BSEEF) will be  a unique annual gathering of world leaders and key stakeholders in energy policy and business for unofficial consultations on global energy security.  Set in the Black Sea-Caspian region, a nexus of global energy security and geopolitics, the conference will bring together world leaders, business executives and prominent policymakers for discussions on today’s key energy issues and recommendations for the future”. Forum topics on its agenda: Policy Responses to Energy Challenges, Global Energy Future, Scenarios for Future Energy Security, The New Energy Mix: Policy and Business Challenges.

The discussions forum will be attended from CEOs and Executives from Areva, DEPA, Eni SpA, ExxonMobil, Hellenic Petroleum, Hunt Oil, KazMunaiGas, WCO, DP Holding, Sabanci Energy Group, Schlumberger and SOCAR.  Also, there will be present Energy and Economy Ministers and senior officials from: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United States and Uzbekistan. “In order to promote dialogue and multinational cooperation in this area of increasing geopolitical signifcance, the Atlantic Council has initiated the BSEEF through our new Eurasian Energy Center. By bringing together key regional and global energy security stakeholders from governments and business, we hope to help transform the Black Sea-Caspian region into a more stable and cooperative platform that grows more closely linked to the European Union and the U.S.” says Chuck Hagel, Chairman of Atlantic Council of the US.

Published in Top Business Weeklypaper, nr. 785/1-7 oct. 2009

Thank you, Mr. Newman

He is Mr. Newman and is already a star.

Location: near a cafe in San Francisco. Photograf: Chris Michael.

I decided to post this photo in place of a comment about history circus of UN Council nuclear meeting. Why? Because in both cases  I do not know what should I do: to smile or be sad?

Also because Mr. Newman is more honest, more alive and expressive than any speech carefully directed by the leaders of UN Council or G 20 …

For all this, Thank you Chris…Thank you Mr. Newman !

G 20 Pittsburgh Summit and the difference between expectations and achievements

Today G20 leaders will meet for the third time in last year. At Summit in Pittsburgh the main issue on the talk is proposal French President Nicolas Sarkozy, to limit international banking bonuses so that they are proportional to long-term performance. This does not mean that bankers would have to do too much worry. President Obama believes that it wouldn’t be a beneficial measure. So European leaders were forced to accept a compromise to avoid a deadlock of the talks. Faced with multiple internal and external problems, Obama no longer seems providential leader, but bankers on Wall-Street seem strong enough to make the law. “Abroad, Obama remains a rock star, but doubts are beginning to emerge about his ability to turn popularity into policy,” said Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, quoted by Bloomberg.com.

Moreover, leaders of EU countries met on September 17 to agree about the position which will have a summit in Pittsburgh. At the end of the meeting, it was established that the European Union to ask the G20 to establish binding rules for financial institutions for a waiver of remuneration in the financial and banking system, together with the possibility of sanctions at national level. Also, EU leaders will advocate for a central role International Monetary Fund.

Notice: in April 2009, in London, G 20 leaders agreed to waive bonuses (including those obtained by employees who best performance in the bank) and in of November 2008, in Washington, outlined the need to increase the role of IMF and World Bank. Conform The Washington Post: “Since April, the combination of loose monetary policy and stimulus spending has begun to show results in some G-20 nations, including the United States and China, where the downturn appears to be losing steam. But any recovery remains fragile. The G-20 finance ministers and central bankers agreed earlier this month to maintain stimulus spending until a recovery gains more traction”. But is it sufficiently ? Is it possible more ? Business analysts have warned that the reform of the global financial system, however, is moving too slowly.

In addition to the economic crisis, the G20 will discuss climate issues before the Copenhagen meeting in December, which will be set new targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. Poor countries expected help from the developed and hopes to get guidance in this respect in Pittsburgh. Today, President Obama and other G 20 leaders are expected to arrive in Pittsburgh  and gather for a leaders-only dinner. Tomorrow, the leaders will attend a plenary session in the morning, followed by a working lunch and another plenary. At the end of the day, representatives from the participating countries will hold press conferences and release a communique outlining the next steps the group will take to deal with the economic crisis.

The world without Romania

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