En el corazón de Europa o de vuelta a África

A pesar de los discurso de gobierno y "cadena amiga" -tomo esta expresión prestada de Isabel Durán con la esperanza de que me regale alguna pulserita o abalario hecho por ella, que me encantan- e incluso de algún artículo laudatorio aparecido en The Economist, el que otrora fuera semanario de referencia de los liberales, el prestigio internacional de España es una especie de Franco Revisited aterrador.

Al discurso rabiosamente antisionista, tercermundista y arabófilo que nos retrae a los tiempos de la dictadura del general Franco, ahora se une una política expresamene antieuropeísta, que desmiente las chorradas que la señora Borrell dijo durante la campaña electoral de 2004. Además de una política de inmigración que ha levantado las cejas de nuestros socios y nos ha convertido en el hazmerreír comunitario y de la casi incomprensible labor de lobby a favor de Castro y de Hamas que Moratinos lleva a cabo en Bruselas cuando va por allá -él, como buen admirador de La pasión turca, prefiere los países musulmanes-llega lo de EON. Como os supongo enterados de la polémica, os remito a la información que hoy saca el diario británico The Telegraph -¡qué lástima que el scoop se le escapara a El País; ultimamente sus corresponsales en la UE dejan mucho que desear- y que deja al gobierno al pie de los caballos.

Como ZP y sus amigos sigan así, nos van a mandar de un patadón de vuelta a África, que como algunos dijeron en el siglo XVIII, comenzaba en los Pirineos. El PSOE, que en estos días anda legislando la memoria y la sexualidad, va a terminar cambiando incluso la geografía. El presidente del gobierno pasará a la historia y a nosotros nos enviarán directos al infierno. Por cierto, ¿qué diría la dicharachera chica Sebastian sobre este ejemplo del más rabioso liberalismo de ZP?

Brussels turns the heat up on Spain
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

(Filed: 07/08/2006)

The European Commission has fired off a letter of unprecedented severity to the Spanish government, giving Madrid "five working days" to halt its protectionist obstruction of E.ON's £27bn takeover bid for the electricity group Endesa.

In a dramatic showdown with Spain's socialist premier José Luis Zapatero, Brussels decried the Spanish sabotage tactics as a breach of EU law and its "principles of equality and anti-discrimination".

The broadside follows a ruling by the Spanish National Energy Commission (CNE) stipulating that E.ON, the German utility company, must sell a large chunk of its Endesa holdings on "security" grounds, if the merger goes ahead.

The CNE acted under fresh powers rushed through by Mr Zapatero this year in a decree clearly intended to scupper the E.ON bid.

Brussels had already given the go-ahead for the white knight merger of Endesa with the German utility, which would create the world's biggest power group.

The Spanish ruling is seen as a slap in the face since the EU claims sole jurisdiction on big cross-border mergers.

EU spokesman Mark Gray said the contents of the letter were confidential, but confirmed that the tone was harsh and the deadline very short. "Spain has a matter of days, not weeks," he said.

Neelie Kroes, the EU competition chief, held a "council of war" last week with commission president José Manuel Barroso to shape a response to what amounts to open defiance of the EU's anti-trust machinery.

Brussels veterans are afraid that Europe's lurch towards protectionism could gather pace, risking disintegration for the EU system.

The EU's "College" of 25 commissioners gave Mrs Kroes special powers to confront Mr Zapatero over the summer recess, if necessary invoking the "nuclear option" of an injunction forcing Spain to desist.

"Mrs Kroes has a mandate to do whatever is necessary and she could move very fast," said an EU official. "The longer this drags on, the worse it is for E.ON. This is a big deal and time is of the essence," he said.

Experts said Spain could face lawsuits from Endesa and E.ON shareholders if the government is found to have scuppered the bid in breach of EU law.

Commission sources said many of the 19 conditions imposed on E.ON by the Spanish regulator were illegal, citing demands for disposal of Endesa's Asco 1 nuclear plant and a number of coal-powered plants.

Spain has invoked Article 21 of the EU merger regulation allowing states to block takeovers on grounds of "public security", but failed to obtain legal clearance from Brussels first.

The EU letter accused Madrid of invoking the clause to "disguise interference with the free flow of capital".

Mr Zapatero has backed a rival bid for Endesa by Barcelona's Gas Natural, hoping to create a Spanish champion - and win gains for his party. He now appears to have over-played his hand disastrously.

Mrs Kroes, known as the Nickel Lady in Holland for her defence of the free market, has been embroiled in a series of high-stakes battles against Microsoft, Europe's energy monopolies, banks and the credit card industry.