Lame duck still important for Europe

Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero will remain in office just one more year before stepping down. Although he will be a "lame duck" until then he can still do much for Europe, writes the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "This period may well ... see dramatic decisions being taken. Should Portugal soon need to seek help under the EU bailout plan, Spain, with its strong financial ties to its neighbour, will not remain unaffected. And with unemployment at more than twenty percent, Spain is already going through precarious times. ... Despite demanding early elections, the conservative opposition can be happy if the prime minister really does remain in office 'to the last day' to wind up the thankless but unavoidable reforms and austerity measures. Zapatero was partially responsible for the crisis, which he first failed to recognise and then long denied. His doing the right thing now to get Spain out of the quagmire will help his European partners, too."

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