1800 GMT: With the EU summit now well under way in Brussels and protests continuing in Madrid, we are wrapping up this Live Report. But first, a quick recap on the day’s events:
– Police in Athens used tear gas to disperse demonstrators and a protesting pensioner died of a heart attack during the country’s general strike;
– German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande looked at odds over whether austerity measures or assistance for struggling eurozone nations should be the summit priority, dampening hopes for a clear outcome to help the likes of Greece;
– Thousands of students, parents and teachers took to the streets of Madrid to voice their opposition to spending cuts and higher fees.
Watch out for AFP’s coverage of the summit later Thursday and into Friday. LIVE REPORT ENDS.
1813 GMT: As protests get under way in Spain, a union spokeswoman says two of the country’s largest unions will “in all probability” call a general strike for November 14 to protest government spending cuts and tax rises.
Leaders of the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and the Union General de Trabajadores (UGT) will meet Friday to decide whether to go ahead, a CCOO spokeswoman said, adding: “In all probability, there is every chance, that the strike will be approved.”
1808 GMT: Euractiv is citing a French diplomatic source on Twitter as being “reasonably optimistic” about a Hollande-Merkel agreement on banking supervision mechanisms.
And Fabrizio Goria @FGoria, a financial reporter with Linkiesta tweets this about the pair’s earlier talks on the sidelines of the summit: “Hollande discussed the situation in Greece and Spain with Monti and Merkel. Extra two years for Greece, “soft aid” for Spain…”
1800 GMT: Herman Van Rompuy, who earlier opened the summit with a call for all EU members to collect the Nobel prize, follows that up with a tweet to the same effect.
And he’s posted another which says: “October #euco starts: we have important work ahead of us: on banks for instance, on employment, and on growth.”
Earlier the Belgian said: “We are facing serious difficulties today but we can draw confidence by remembering that the obstacles the builders of Europe had to overcome were frankly more daunting. They had to rebuild the continent wrecked by violence, by dictatorships and they succeeded.”
1753 GMT: And the demonstration in Madrid has begun, Anna Cuenca reports.
“There are several thousand students, parents and professors,” she tells us. “They’re shouting: ‘We’re going to stop this reform!’ and ‘Parents and students, forward together!’. Some people are calling for the sacking of the education minister.”
1745 GMT: As talks get under way in Brussels, more protests are kicking off in Spain, AFP’s Anna Cuenca tells us.
“Nearly a thousand people have gathered in Neptune Square, for the demonstration against cuts in education, which is set to start in a few minutes,” she reports from Madrid.
“Many of them are dressed in the green T-shirts typical of protests against austerity in the education sector. They are carrying banners which read ‘No to cuts’ and ‘Education is a vital investment.”
1637 GMT: One of the key questions, as at every summit, says AFP’s Yann Ollivier, is: now that they’ve started when will they finish?
European diplomats are optimistic, he reports from Brussels. Two in the morning, some say. Even before midnight, Herman Van Rompuy’s entourage hopes. “All will depend on the time they want to spend quarelling,” says another.
1621 GMT: The AFP first pictures are emerging from the summit, including this one of Hollande and Merkel arriving together.
“As leaders arrived, it was clear differences around the rival French and German positions were many and varied, promising to make the summit difficult, reports AFP’s Bryan McManus reports from Brussels.
“Paris pressed for a single banking union, a key step to allow aid for struggling banks, while Berlin demanded Brussels be given control of member state budgets,” explains.
1605 GMT: Britain’s UKIP leader Nigel Farage tweets: “I’m now at the 22nd EU crisis summit since 2009. I am expecting nothing to be achieved.”
He’s well known for his anti-Europe views but even Brussels officials are playing down expectations, saying the summit is a stock-taking exercise before a November meeting on the EU’s 2014-2020 budget and then a crucial December summit that is to draft a plan to strengthen economic and monetary union.
1555 GMT: European markets have closed up for a fourth consecutive day despite earlier wobbles.
London’s FTSE 100 gained a slight 0.10 percent to 5,917.05 points while in Frankfurt the DAX 30 added a more substantial 0.58 percent to 7,437.23 points. In Paris the CAC 40 rose by 0.22 percent to 3,535.18 points.
1543 GMT: “To mark this joyful occasion I hope all EU heads of state or government will be able to join celebrations in Oslo in December,” Van Rompuy says, opening the summit.
1536 GMT: Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, says he wants all 27 EU leaders to collect the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to the bloc last week for its six decades of advancing peace and reconcilliation in Europe.
The Nobel committee usually only accepts two, so this could prove problematic.
1531 GMT: In contrast to recent EU gatherings, held amid market crisis, Merkel insists that this summit is “completely regular”. But don’t expect much action…
“This will not be a summit at which we will already take decisions but we will prepare the decisions for December so we have to set the right course,” she told reporters on arrival.
1528 GMT: Merkel and Hollande enter the summit together after a head-to-head meeting.
Leaders of the 27 member states will now begin two days of talks at the first of three summits before Christmas.
1524 GMT: EU SUMMIT OPENS.
1523 GMT: Angela Merkel, arriving at the summit, says the EU must proceed rapidly but thoroughly on the disputed banking union plan.
“We will stress again that we want to work quickly and of course very thoroughly,” she says, after Francois Hollande earlier said a banking union — not the Merkel-proposed budget controls — should be the focus of the summit.
1517 GMT: In Portugal, meanwhile, employees of the Lusa news agency are also striking against expected cuts arising from the government’s fresh austerity measures.
The agency informed its clients of the four-day strike in a memo early, as dozens of employees demonstrated in front of the seat of government during a cabinet meeting. They carried banners saying “To destroy Lusa is to attack democracy.”
1509 GMT: Protests in Greece which led to violent clashes earlier have wrapped up now, AFP correspondents say.
Police said some 26,000 people joined rallies in Athens but our reporters on the scene estimate the number to be much larger.
A 65-year-old man died during the clashes but it is not clear whether his death was linked to the sporadic bursts of tear gas fired by police.
1455 GMT: French President Francois Hollande arrives at the summit after his lunch with socialist leaders. He tells reporters: “The best way to proceed is to respect the decisions we have already taken.”
He says the context for the summit is “very tough times in social terms, and economic terms,” but adds that leaders are no longer under “very tough pressure from the markets.”
Divergences with Germany, he suggests, are “perhaps for reasons related to the electoral calendar,” as Merkel faces general elections next September.
1449 GMT: European stock markets are mixed after a morning of social unrest in Greece and new economic data from Spain.
In afternoon trading, London’s FTSE 100 index edged up 0.02 percent to 5,911.92 points, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 rose 0.32 percent to 7,4418.19 points, and the Paris CAC 40 slid 0.09 percent to 3,524.21 points. Madrid’s IBEX 35 shed 0.58 percent to 8,080.90 points.
1441 GMT: Ahead of the talks, exchanges between Hollande and Merkel on banking union and tighter budget controls reflect the continued strains after a “breakthrough” June summit, says AFP’s Bryan McManus.
“The opening exchanges suggest the discussions will be tough, with decisions likely to be sent back to officials for more work,” he adds. An agreement between the once-close neighbours will be crucial to any progress over the next two days.
1431 GMT: “For the Czech Republic, there are many things uncertain so far, concerning mutual bailout and especially deposit guarantees”, the Czech PM is quoted by his spokesman as saying.
“Czech banks are relatively sound, so they don’t need to be connected with the infected part of Europe.”
1425 GMT: Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas says he could not vote for the sort of banking union being pushed by Hollande.
“I can hardly imagine voting for certain measures”, the head of the non-euro state says on meeting British Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of the summit.
Necas and Cameron are allies in a splinter right-wing alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, and Britain and the Czech Republic were the two countries that vetoed an EU fiscal treaty this year which is still awaiting final ratification from the signatories.
1402 GMT: Leaders are beginning to arrive in Brussels for talks which are due to kick off in around an hour.
British Prime Minister David Cameron says he will use the summit to try and turn the focus among eurozone leaders to their “greatest asset,” the single European market. And he warns that his European partners are in danger of “falling behind” international competitors.
“There’s a global race taking place and some countries are going to struggle and frankly there is a danger of European countries and the EU falling behind,” he tells reporters.
“What’s absolutely vital is that we encourage enterprise, we cut the cost of regulation for business and we do trade deals with some of the biggest economies in the world like America, Japan and fast-growing countries as well,” Cameron said.
“And finally, perhaps most importantly, that we look at the greatest asset we’ve got … the biggest market anywhere in the world.”
1342 GMT: Student protests are also under way in Spain, according to reports on Twitter.
Thousands of high school and university students are demonstrating in Spanish cities for a second day. We’ll bring you more details of these protests later..
1325 GMT: If you’re just joining us, here’s a quick recap of today’s events so far:
— Some 25,000 people have joined anti-austerity protests in Athens, where violent clashes erupted between police and demonstrators. A 66-year-old man has died and at least two people were wounded.
— Leaders are preparing to kick off the European Summit from 5.00pm (1500 GMT) in Brussels, where banking union and tighter fiscal controls will be among the subjects up for discussion.
— Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel have already set up a potential clash ahead of talks, with the French president rejecting the German Chancellor’s calls for greater budgetary supervision and calling instead for a banking union. The pair are expected to meet before the main event.
1315 GMT: Commentators on Twitter criticise the police “gassing” suffered by protesters during the rally.
1302 GMT: More details are emerging on the death of a protester in Athens… “A 65-year-old man was taken to hospital where efforts to revive him failed,” an official tells AFP, adding: “There were no bruises on his body.”
A police source says the man had been picked up from a bench in front of a church, away from the area where the clashes took place, while other reports said he had been found on central Syntagma Square, close to the scene.
The ministry official said two people had also been injured in clashes around Syntagma Square.
1257 GMT: “President Francois Hollande will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel before the beginning of the summit,” a French source says. The bilateral meeting was confirmed by a German diplomat.
As Hollande called for greater banking union, Merkel earlier warned against rushing into an ineffective supervisory system for European banks, calling for “quality” over “speed” of reforms.
1247 GMT: BREAKING NEWS: Hollande, Merkel to meet before EU summit, say diplomats.
1242 GMT: Meanwhile, as leaders prepare for the European Summit which kicks off at 5.00pm (1500 GMT), it looks like Merkel is set to face some strong opposition from France to her push for budget control.
“The aim of the (European Union) council is not budgetary union, it’s banking union,” says French Hollande, arriving for a pre-summit lunch with Socialist heads of state and government.
“So the only decision we must take, or rather confirm, is the setting up of a banking union by the end of the year, and notably the first stage, which is banking supervision.”
Earlier Merkel said the EU economic commissioner should have the power of veto over member states’ budgets.
1235 GMT: A 66-year-old man has died from apparent heart failure during the demonstration in Athens, according to news reports.
The man collapsed and was taken to an Athens hospital where he died, Skai radio says. Another five people including two policemen were injured in sporadic clashes that broke out during the protest.
1232 GMT: BREAKING NEWS: 66-YEAR OLD MAN DIES DURING ATHENS PROTESTS: REPORTS.
1228 GMT: Alexandros Pappas a 30-year-old private sector employee who is taking part in the Athens protest says his salary has been cut by about 40 percent this past year.
“Theoretically I am better off compared to others, because I have a job and I get paid,” he says. “But I am here for all the others, I cannot remain idle.”
One in four people in Greece is officially unemployed but unions say the real number is higher still.
1223 GMT: Dramatic images are coming in from AFP photographers in Athens showing flames erupting in front of riot police during clashes with demonstrators.
There is a sense of despair among many protesters interviewed on the streets. Dimitris Sandis, who works for a pharmaceutical company, tells AFP: “Poverty is expanding, jobs are being lost and Greece is sinking. Greece will die if these austerity measures don’t stop.”
1216 GMT: With Greece in the midst of a 24-hour general strike, the head of leading union GSEE, Yiannis Panagopoulos, says another one will be held on November 14, as part of a pan-European mobilisation by unions that will also hit Portugal and Spain.
“The peoples of Europe are groaning, with the Greeks first among them. Unfair and ineffective economic policies have led us to poverty and degradation,” Panagopoulos says.
1210 GMT: More details on the fiery protests raging in Athens… An AFP reporter at the scene says scattered groups of youths earlier attacked police with stones and firebombs, and police retaliated with tear gas and stun grenades.
Masked riot police charged the youths to clear the square, she adds, and the demonstration has now resumed.
1205 GMT: On the markets, European equities have mostly fallen, while the euro dipped against the dollar, ahead of today’s summit.
Frankfurt’s DAX 30 fell 0.25 percent to 7,413.26 points, the Paris CAC 40 slid 0.08 percent to 3,525.37 points and Madrid’s IBEX 35 shed 0.47 percent to 8,090.70 in late morning deals.
London’s FTSE 100 index bucked the trend and climbed just 0.04 percent to 5,913.60 points.
1158 GMT: Earlier German Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear what she wanted from the talks. Speaking in the German parliament she said Brussels should be given the power to veto member states’ budgets.
The EU’s economic commissioner — currently Ollie Rehn — should be able to step in and declare a budget “invalid” if it flouts EU rules, she argued.
“We believe … we could go further by granting the European level real rights to intervene in national budgets” which breach the growth and stability pact, she said.
1151 GMT: Nick Stamenkovic, an analyst for RIA Capital Markets, says: “Today’s EU summit will discuss a broad range of subjects including banking union, direct banking sector recapitalisation, stricter fiscal oversight and a centralised euro area budget.
“Greece and Spain will also be discussed,” adds Stamenkovic, who doubts that “any substantive policy measures” will be announced.
1146 GMT: Of course, Greece is not the only focus of the summit which kicks off later and will continue Friday. Spain also appears set to ask for a bailout after months of hesitation.
One diplomatic source said Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy could use the summit to outline conditions that would be met in exchange for aid. This could mean the first use of the eurozone’s new rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).
1140 GMT: As unions rail against a third straight year of cuts, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is expected to use the European Summit to persuade his EU neighbours to allow him more time to implement the cuts.
He wants the latest set of reforms to be spread over four years to 2016 — instead of the current two-year timeframe.
1132 GMT: While protests rage in the capital, 17,000 people are also marching in Greece’s northern city of Thessaloniki, Vassilis Kyriakoulis reports for AFP. He says that protest ended without incident.
1125 GMT: More on those clashes in Athens… Riot police have fired tear gas at protesters on the sidelines of the anti-austerity rally, an AFP reporter says.
They tried to repel protesters who broke through a police line outside luxury hotels near central Syntagma Square and then charged at the demonstrators.
1120 GMT: AFP’s Catherine Boitard, reporting earlier from the Greek capital, said police were expecting 25,000 protesters on the streets.
Many were already in full swing, chanting slogans against austerity cuts along the lines of: “They won’t stop, if we don’t stop.”
But Evangelia Gaiganitis, 38, a union member, was less than optimistic about the effect they might have. She says: “We’re here to keep the flame lit, but we won’t change anything in the immediate future.”
1115 GMT: BREAKING NEWS: Greek riot police clash with protesters in Athens. More on that to follow.
1110 GMT: As leaders prepare to gather in Brussels, thousands of Greeks are on strike against a new wave of austerity measures. It’s the fourth such strike this year and has brought trains, ferries, flights and public services to a stop.
AFP’s Katerina Voussoura has been speaking to protesters in Athens where jobless journalist Aliki Vassiloudi, 40, tells her: “I have been unemployed for a year and I have been trying to survive with tooth and nail… (We are here because) we want to have jobs, dignity and, above all, we want to live like Greeks and not like subservients”.
Welcome to AFP’s live report on the European Summit in Brussels, where the bloc’s 27 member states will meet for two days of key talks, seeking to tighten economic and monetary union in order to ease the ongoing eurozone crisis.
The talks, which kick off from 5.00pm (1500 GMT), will take place against a backdrop of angry protests.
In Greece a strike against new austerity cuts has brought transport and public services to a halt, with demonstrations already under way in Athens, while protests are expected later in Spain.
Meanwhile just hours ahead of the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel laid down the law to her EU colleagues, calling for Brussels to have the power of veto over national budgets.
She is likely to use the talks to push for tighter coordination and oversight of fiscal policy, but could face strong opposition from neighbours France and Britain.
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