And in other news, the European Commission is preparing up to a billion euros to aid the French, and provide for social reforms. Hm.. and here I was thinking the EU was trying to get money back from the French. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Different departments :D Got to love a beureacracy at times like these!

A billion ? Teletext said 50 million earlier tonight. What made them raise the amount so drastically ?

Anyway, i'm sending jack shit, and yes i do know who that is. :D

Heh.. nothing quite that sinister. ;) With 'getting money back', I refered to the proposed reduction of agricultural subsidies. A for the 'billion' euros. The 50 million is short-term money to help France recover for the riots. There may be an additional billion forthcoming to accomodate social changes that might prevent such riots in the future. After all, high unemployement is seen as a major cause of this chaos.

So when do we get all our money back as Europe's largest contributor to pretty much anything?

Heh.. nothing quite that sinister. ;) With 'getting money back', I refered to the proposed reduction of agricultural subsidies. A for the 'billion' euros. The 50 million is short-term money to help France recover for the riots. There may be an additional billion forthcoming to accomodate social changes that might prevent such riots in the future. After all, high unemployement is seen as a major cause of this chaos. </font>[/QUOTE]Shouldn't that be France's business, and France's business alone ? Germany has also high unemployement, are they gonna collect for them as well, so that they can prevent any possible future riots ? I also just heard that the government is considering to take over the 250 billion debt of the Antillen, in exchange for stopping the yearly 80 million for development there. What are they trying to do here ? Save the whole friggin planet ?

They are? I heard Pechtold was fiercly opposed to that plan, and I agree. Our country is in enough debt as it is. Link: during the current EU-budget negotiations, the government has demanded that either other countries start paying more, or we'll start paying less. So I guess the answer to your question is: soon. On a related note. We may be paying the most, we are also one of the countries that used to get the most out of EU-membership. We are definately not running at a loss.