In the last three months Portugal went through legislative and presidential elections, with results impacting in national governance but also aiming to contribute to turn Europe away from obsessive austerity policies
On one side, significant investments in natural gas, carbon capture and storage and renewable energy; on the other one electro-chemical batteries that have achieved unpredictable performance and cost improvements in the transportation field.
The exit of Greece from the euro zone by choice or happenstance might have caused ripples but not disaster for the currency union. By contrast, the exit of Spain, with the fourth largest GDP in the euro zone, would be catastrophic, the end of the single currency and perhaps the European Union in its present form. The German government and its austerity allies could not threaten an anti-austerity Spanish government as they did Syriza.
Both mainstream parties are struggling, and their tactics to counter the FN have proven to be costly for the Socialists and ineffective for the Republicans.
When banks are involved in a credit crise, state aids are allowed in some countries (e.g. Germany) and forbiden in other ones.The odd case of four Italian banks.
