European Institute

In Europe, President Obama’s declaration on Afghanistan that the tide of war has turned and that American troops be steadily withdrawn was met with enthusiasm – and no dissent – both from countries that have contributed heavily to the war effort and to those, such as Germany, that have been reluctant partners in the campaign.

Croatia passed a crucial hurdle in its pursuit of EU membership when the European Commission gave formal approval June 10 to its accession application. Endorsement by EU heads of state is now considered only a formality, and Croatia’s tentative entry date is July 1, 2013.

With Athens’ new debt bail-out hanging in the balance this week, the economic situation -- even for a comparatively small EU country such as Greece – could hardly be more dire. Even now, however, the country’s overall accounts might be susceptible to a recovery via a combination of international help and Greek commitment. But a growing threat to that formula for success is the increasingly obvious failure of Greece’s political class. After years of shirking responsibilities for the country's long-term future, Greek leaders may be unable at this point to rally the nation to face a major crisis.

The E.coli epidemic in Germany has scared people across Europe: more than 30 are dead (more than in the nuclear accident in Japan) and up to 3,000 people are sick; restaurants have posted signs explaining that they are not serving vegetables (even tomatoes in sandwiches); consumers are frightened about eating fresh vegetables, even from organic growers; farmers and businesses have lost crops worth of hundreds of millions of euros and the health authorities face a mystery that they have been slow to solve.