Europe hits a brick wall
Politicians say they are desperate to cure Europe’s unemployment. Really?
IN 1996 Chancellor Helmut Kohl pledged to halve Germany's unemployment by 2000. The leaders of Sweden's ruling Social Democratic party say they will do the same. Spain's prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, has promised that 1997 will be “the year for jobs”. Jacques Chirac was elected president in 1995 partly because he offered to do most to cut French unemployment.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Europe hits a brick wall”
Briefing April 5th 1997
From the April 5th 1997 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
The Adani bribery case could upend Indian business and politics
The allegations against the corporate champion may end up being resolved diplomatically rather than in court
The war in Ukraine is straining Russia’s economy and society
Despite advances on the battlefield, pressure is growing
How many Ukrainian soldiers have died?
Three charts show the country’s losses
How will Donald Trump handle the war in Ukraine?
And how will Ukraine, Russia and Europe respond?
Elon Musk’s transformation, in his own words
Our analysis of 38,000 posts on X reveal a changed man
Elon Musk and Donald Trump seem besotted. Where is their bromance headed?
The precedents are not encouraging