Main focus of Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Berlusconi endangers euro bailout

The EU Commission has urgently demanded that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi present an austerity and reform plan for his country at the EU summit today, Wednesday. According to commentators Berlusconi must finally comply with the demand otherwise both his government and the euro bailout will be in grave danger.

NRC Handelsblad - Netherlands

On Tuesday Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was once again urged by the EU Commission to present an austerity and reform programme at today's summit of EU heads of state and government. According to the liberal daily NRC Handelsblad, rather than complaining about the demands Italy should get to work and comply with them: "Perhaps Italians feel offended by foreign interference in their domestic affairs and the disrespect shown to their prime minister, whom after all they've been keeping in power for years. However now is not the time to pay too much attention to their disgruntlement. The Italian government would do better to invest its energy into living up to Prime Minister Berlusconi's promises, and tabling a plan at the European summit for reviving the country's economy and giving it new prospects in view of the high levels of youth unemployment. An then this plan must be implemented." (26/10/2011)

» more information (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Italy, » Europe
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

Il Sole 24 Ore - Italy

After Germany and France's covert criticism of Italy's crisis management the liberal business paper Il Sole 24 Ore calls on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to finally take action: "Neither Merkel nor Sarkozy are entitled to humiliate the people of an EU founding state. Such behaviour incites doubts about Europe's ability to master the crisis. This is one reason more to end the undignified show in Italy in which a prime minister and a government are constantly avoiding decisions and seeking the last compromise or the last vote in their fight for political survival. No, Mr Prime Minister. Italy takes precedent. ... Do something for your country. Do it by decree and assume the political responsibility for it before the parliament and the people. No one, not even you, can justify Italy following directly in Greece's footsteps." (26/10/2011)

» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Italy, » Europe
All available articles from » Roberto Napoletano
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

El País - Spain

Because Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has failed to push through austerity measures at home the left-liberal daily El País sees the success of the euro crisis summit taking place today, Wednesday, in jeopardy: "Prime Minister Berlusconi proved on Monday incapable of keeping his umpteenth promise to his European colleagues that he would push through an austerity package. He has announced it several times since the beginning of August only to retract it soon after. That he is now torn between his coalition partners, who are against the austerity measures, and his actual duties regarding his European allies, who quite rightly demand cuts, doesn't bode well for his political survival. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if it didn't endanger the stability of a major country and therefore also the euro. Let's hope that these obstacles don't stand in the way of the success of this crucially important summit." (26/10/2011)

» full article (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Italy, » Europe
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Switzerland

In view of the conflicts that arise at crisis summits on the euro bailout, the liberal-conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung hardly sees a chance for a common European financial and economic policy: "Every idea proposed so far for allowing Brussels to intervene has resulted in the partial curtailment or waiving of national parliaments' rights. For the EU there can be no getting around - or solving - this democratic policy dilemma. For that reason Wednesday's summit will no doubt agree on a substantial debt restructuring for Greece as well as other technical measures, but it will not address the core of the crisis." (26/10/2011)

» more information (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Eric Gujer
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

» To the complete press review of Wednesday, October 26, 2011