Via TE an interesting article on the heterogeneous economic fortunes of the European Union. It is noted that Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain are struggling and the Germany dominates the economic view of the EU.
It is probably a mistake to view the EU in nationalist terms and instead view it in Federalist terms. For instance California and New York are the powerful economic states in the US and while it often gets noted they are so it is not with a nationalist or nativist understanding.
There are also heterogeneous issues with state finances in the United States as well. It is interesting though that the super structure of the EU and its federalist, or more accurately, confederalist, nature makes being a nation-state cheaper for micro-states such as Malta, that it is also causing difficulties in smaller states being tied to the economic performance of the larger states like Germany and France.
