Politicians all over the world are expressing relief at the outcome of the election in Greece and warning that the reforms should continue. The news portal Protagon finds this ominous: "For those who haven't understood or pretend not to have understood: The Europeans haven't just expressed their relief because there is now a last chance to normalise the situation in the Eurozone. Some friends in Brussels and Berlin … are stressing that this 'relief' is down to the fact that now everyone has a little more time to prepare for the worst-case scenario, namely Greece's bankruptcy within the Eurozone. The new government that may be formed as soon as today has no time for little games among the coalition parties. Because what it has now is a little less than its last chance." (19/06/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Elections, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Antonis Fourlis
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

The victory of the conservative Nea Dimokratia in the Greek parliamentary elections is the result of the pressure and threats from Europe, the left-liberal daily Delo concludes: "The warnings were almost apocalyptic. If the radicals had won the election the banks would have been besieged and the capital flows from abroad cut off. Greece would have had to say goodbye to the euro. … The message from Europe was clear: if you don't stick to the austerity terms you will go bankrupt, because without us you won't receive any more money. This kind of more or less open threat had a pretty strong impact on the way the Greeks cast their votes in the parliamentary election. … But it remains unclear how the most influential agents will be able to retain their credibility while exerting such pressure on Greece. It's as if the decision that Greece must stay in the Eurozone whatever the cost had already been made, because all the other solutions are even more expensive and risky." (19/06/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Elections, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Peter Žerjavič
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

Even if the left-wing alliance Syriza hasn't managed the leap into government in the Greek elections the success of party leader Alexis Tsipras will influence European politics, writes Daniel Oliveira in his blog Arrastão, noting that Tsipras achieved "a major feat: in just three years he has sextupled the election result of his party. But this wasn't enough to win the election. The Eurocrats and Ms. Merkel breathed a sigh of relief. Their blackmailing tactics and the unprecedented interfering in the political life of an EU member state don't detract from the democratic legitimacy of the Greek elections. Europe didn't receive the blow it urgently needs so as not to self-destruct. … But with its results and the losses of the troika parties Syriza has managed to ensure that not everything stays the same as it was. Greece has failed to give the impetus for a rebirth of European policy but at least it has given people a fright the effects of which will last for a while." (19/06/2012)

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All available articles from » Daniel Oliveira
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

After the elections in Greece German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be forced to soften her stance on the EU's austerity requirements whether she likes it or not, writes the leftist daily Népszava: "The German chancellor is already being called 'Frau No' because she won't hear of relaxing the austerity policy. Last Saturday she announced once again that the credit agreement with Greece should not be altered. … At this point no one knows whether Greece will ever be able to clear its debts of approximately 327 billion euros. … This is questionable also because the Greek gross domestic product is dwindling from year to year while unemployment has already climbed to over 22 percent. … Greece is more divided than ever. But not only Greece must change and finally do its homework. Europe, too, must take on a new direction under Angela Merkel's leadership. For one thing is clear: the present course cannot continue." (19/06/2012)

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All available articles from » Tamás Rónay
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

Europe's voters have had enough of the ongoing cuts in public spending, comments the liberal daily Kaleva in view of the overwhelming Socialist victory in the French parliamentary elections: "The election results in France mean that an alternative will now be tested for overcoming the euro crisis. The result also represents a glimmer of hope for European social democrats and other parties on the moderate Left. ... Aside from France, the Social Democrats have become the most popular party in Sweden as well, while the Left Party is also on the rise there. Meanwhile, in Germany the SPD and Greens won the state elections in North Rhine Westphalia. ... While there are different reasons for the rise of the Left in each country, in all of them it seems that voters have had enough of public spending cuts as a panacea for the economic crisis. They now want a different approach." (19/06/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Elections, » Germany, » France, » Sweden
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

Estonia's president Toomas Hendrik Ilves has expressed his annoyance on Twitter at an article by Paul Krugman in the New York Times in which the economics Nobel Prize winner describes Estonia's economic recovery as modest. The criticism of Krugman is exaggerated, writes the tabloid Õhtuleht: "Krugman interprets the statistics to prove his theories. That Estonia's [conservative] government feels offended by this is irrelevant. … The ruling parties are trying to portray Krugman as an idiot out of the sandpit whom Ilves is personally attacking because he is at the end of his tether. The Social Democrats should bring this dispute into the adult world where conflicts are conducted on the level of content rather than at a personal level. If they can manage to do this, Estonia could become a model representing Krugman's ideas and the Social Democrats would have a Nobel laureate to support their demands. … The Conservatives can accuse the Social Democrats of wanting to turn Estonia into a second Greece, but whether they will win the next elections with such warnings is questionable." (19/06/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Economy, » Estonia
All available articles from » Arved Breidaks

The moderate Islamist Mohamed Morsi on Monday declared himself the winner of Egypt's first free presidential elections, only to be contradicted by his rival Ahmed Shafik. But regardless of who the winner is, the true power will remain in the hands of the military, the left-liberal daily Der Standard writes: "Egypt now has a caricature of a president and no parliament. The formation of a new government will no doubt be left to the new president, because what else can the military council mean with its 'handover' to the civilians? But there are limitations on this point as well: In its complementary constitutional declaration on Sunday, the military council named its own chairman as minister of defence. The constitution is also written by the military - and the constitutional judges (named by Hosni Mubarak) will have the last say on this constitution. They are the ones who will decide if an article of the new constitution contradicts the 'goals of the revolution'. Now that's what you call chutzpah.” (18/06/2012)

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All available articles from » Gudrun Harrer
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

At the G20 summit in Mexico US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin called in a joint declaration for an end to the bloodshed in Syria. Obama has understood that the best strategy in the dispute over how to react to Damascus is to show Putin his appreciation of Russia's role, writes the liberal daily La Stampa: "Obama has played the card of recognising the important of Russian-Syrian relations. In other words, Washington would have nothing against this alliance even in a post-Assad phase. Ultimately this means that Moscow will be allowed to keep its military base in the Syrian port of Tartus in the future. And this is precisely what the Kremlin was most concerned about since this is the only friendly port its Mediterranean fleet has left. We must wait and see if the compromise on the Annan peace plan can go along with Putin's desire to heighten his profile in the Middle East. … Quite apart from the fact that the joint declaration makes no mention of the planned missile defence shield in Europe which remains a main bone of contention between Moscow and Washington." (19/06/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Crises / War, » Russia, » U.S., » Syria
All available articles from » Maurizio Molinari
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

The mistakes that have led to the debt crisis in Southern Europe were made in the North and can only be corrected there, warns economist Paul Krugman in the left-liberal daily El País: "Ever since Greece hit the skids, we've heard a lot about what's wrong with everything Greek. Some accusations are true, some are false, but all are beside the point. Yes, there are big failings in Greece's economy, politics and society. But those failings aren't what caused the crisis that is tearing Greece apart and that threatens to spread across Europe. No, the origins of this disaster lie farther north, in Brussels, Frankfurt and Berlin, where officials created a deeply flawed monetary system, then compounded its problems by substituting moralizing for analysis. ... The only way the euro might - might - be saved is if the Germans and the European Central Bank realize that they're the ones who need to change their behavior, spending more and, yes, accepting higher inflation. If not - well, Greece will basically go down in history as the victim of other people's hubris." (19/06/2012)

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All available articles from » Paul Krugman
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

French President François Hollande has proposed to lead Europe out of recession by increasing public sector investments. A misguided idea, writes economist Rémy Prud'homme in the conservative daily Le Figaro: "The Spanish banking crisis that has rocked all of Europe is first and foremost a crisis of public investment: regional, politicised banks have financed enormous public works that have pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy. This is the occasion to reflect on the dangerous myth of 'future expenditures'. As far as public finances go, investment spending does have a better press than administrative expenditures, both on the Left and on the Right. ... So it is now time to break with the firmly established myth that public investment automatically creates jobs today and growth tomorrow. This myth has served its time. ... It is time for a thorough and unprejudiced examination of each public investment project and an honest account of its costs and the benefits. We are less in need of lyrical visionaries than of competent accountants." (19/06/2012)

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All available articles from » Rémy Prud'homme
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

Sunday's election in Greece has had no impact on the markets because the investors have long since turned their attention to Spain, writes Roland Paszkiewicz, chief analyst at the Polish investment firm CDM Pekao in a commentary for the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza: "The investors have been reckoning with a positive outcome for Greece for two weeks and have bought shares in listed companies. In the event that the radical left-wing Syriza had won they would have assumed that the European Central Bank would intervene and calm the markets. Now - following the positive decision of the Greek voters - the investors who bought shares a week or two weeks ago are selling them off at a profit once more. The investors are now focusing on how big the risk is that Spain's economic problems will continue to increase. For around six months now, purchasers of Spanish bonds have been demanding ever higher interest from the government in Madrid to cover the growing risk." (19/06/2012)

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All available articles from » Roland Paszkiewicz

At the G20 summit in Mexico the row over how to solve the crisis in Europe is simmering. The two-day meeting of the heads of government and state began with the participants blaming each other for the crisis. Europe is right to defend itself against the pointed finger of its G20 partners, writes the liberal-conservative business paper Il Sole 24 Ore: "German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who prefers to give lessons rather than receive them, has stressed repeatedly that the US needs to takes steps to balance its budget, and the emerging economies, starting with China, need to revalue their currencies. … Although mutual accusations are the worst basis for an international summit, it is nonetheless true that despite all its global ramifications the crisis of the Eurozone is and remains a European crisis. Europe wants to tackle it in its own fashion, without making all too large concessions forced by the financial markets. … It is taking its time, and Obama's attempt to solve the crisis for Europe won't change this one bit." (19/06/2012)

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All available articles from » Alessandro Merli
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

The British government concluded a consultation on the introduction of same-sex marriage last week. The conservative newspaper The Daily Telegraph can't understand why the Church of England continues to reject marriages between homosexuals: "Society has changed dramatically over 30 years. We no longer want to belong to anything much; we're disenchanted with authority of all kinds; we have a remarkably improvisational approach to family life; and are open to cultural influences from all over the world. ... The Government is very clear that it has other voices to listen to as well, as it attempts to reflect the dramatic recent changes in who we are as a people, where we come from and what we believe in. If the Church and state are to stay together, they will have to stop shouting at each other, learn to accept what the other is saying and make huge adjustments, fast. But isn't that what marriage is all about?" (19/06/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Gender equality, » United Kingdom

After the elimination of the Dutch team from the Euro 2012 in the last match of the group phase on Sunday the Dutch are seeking the reasons for their defeat. Striker Arjen Robben in particular is being criticised for having shouted three times "Shut your mouth, man!" at coach Bert van Marwijk during the game against Portugal. The event and the debate it has sparked are symptomatic for the Dutch, writes columnist Bert Wagendorp with a touch of irony in the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant: "Behind these words lies a world of which we don't have the vaguest idea, a stinking pit full of division and exasperation. An enormous gap between generations and values. In four words Robben caught the essence of a spoiled and egoistical generation of players who can no longer be coached. It won't be long before his 'shut your mouth, man' extends from this group of footballers to us all, the Dutch people. There is no lack of strife among us, either. We will project Robben's 'Shut your mouth, man' onto ourselves and our morals. Robben has formulated a social problem that will preoccupy us for the entire summer. His passes on the turf were insignificant, but this one has hit its mark." (19/06/2012)

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All available articles from » Bert Wagendorp
Who's saying what » Kick-off in Eastern Europe