Main focus of Wednesday, February 10, 2010

EU Commission faces daunting tasks

The European Parliament on Tuesday elected the new EU Commission with a clear majority. Commentators say the Commission must above all tackle the major economic challenges facing Europe.

Cinco Días - Spain

The EU Commission needs to restore confidence in the Eurozone, the Spanish business paper Cinco Días writes: "Its first task is to prepare a convincing response to the doubts about the stability of public finances in the Eurozone. ... The response should be inspired by the application of the Stability Pact as well as the necessary solidarity measures. In the medium term the Commission should take advantage of the revision of the failed Lisbon Strategy to set up a genuine economic government for the Eurozone, with close surveillance of the pace of reforms in each country. This new pact which complements the Stability Pact should be signed in June, coinciding with the end of the Spanish EU presidency. If it is rigorously applied citizens and investors will regain their confidence in Brussels." (10/02/2010)

» full article (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe

Kurier - Austria

The newly appointed EU Commission faces a daunting set of tasks, writes the daily Kurier: "If this body wants to keep being the motor, think tank and spin doctor to the EU it will have to tell the member states and the citizens of the EU the truth about the state of the Union: the old promise of prosperity, the Union's perceived raison d'être of past decades, no longer holds water. The EU not only faces stiff competition from the US, China and other emerging markets, it is also facing a massive debate over distributive justice. Poverty and the job market are the key topics here. These - and not idle promises - are the new Commission's true agenda, these are the challenges it faces." (09/02/2010)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Margaretha Kopeinig

Frankfurter Rundschau - Germany

The EU Parliament must take advantage of the new legislative responsibilities it has acquired with the appointment of the new EU Commission, writes the daily Frankfurter Rundschau: "Barroso has three months to react to the legislative iniatives coming from the Parliament. And the Commission has one year to formulate the MEPs' proposals as a draft law. If it can't or doesn't want to, it must provide detailed reasons why not. With this development the MEPs come a large step closer to the independent legislative competence they are seeking. The stiffest opposition to this concession of Barroso's came from the heads of government of the 27 EU member states, the European Council. ... Now the MEPs must show that apart from standing up for their rights, they are also ready to put their new powers to good use. Only then will the new balance of power in Europe help the EU out of its precarious position." (10/02/2010)

» more information (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Werner Balsen

» To the complete press review of Wednesday, February 10, 2010