'Blind austerity' policy rejected by congress

摘要

Acall to replace "blind austerity" with "smart and innovative austerity" was made at the annual congress of FIEC (the European Construction Industry Federation). The congress was held this year in Berlin, Germany, where Belgian contractor Johan Willemen was elected for a two-year term as president of FIEC. Outgoing president, Thomas Schleicher, told the assembled FIEC members, "The EU needs to get rid of 'blind austerity' which destroys the real economy, and the construction sector in particular, and replace it with 'smart and innovative austerity"'. "The EU is seen by many as a constraint - it's not," he said. "Many things can and must be improved in the way funds are used, but in general there is no reason for fundamental doubts."