German Chancellor Angela Merkel talked in an interview on Saturday of a "European growth agenda", which is being widely interpreted as cautious approval of the growth pact under discussion in the EU. Finally things are moving in the right direction in the fight to overcome the crisis, the left-liberal daily El País comments enthusiastically: "The need to pave the way for recovery was already stressed by the president of the ECB, Mario Draghi, last week. But more significant is the fact that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a passionate advocate of the austerity policy as the only way of achieving stability, has now also voiced support for the idea of a European growth agenda. Merkel's momentous about-turn on this doesn't come from nowhere. It is a response to several powerful factors, beginning with the increasing likelihood that François Hollande will win the French elections and withdraw French support for never-ending European austerity. ... The attempt to stabilise the Eurozone by extending Prussian discipline to all Europe seems like a prolonged nightmare." (30/04/2012)

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Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

At the national conference of the German Pirate Party which took place on the weekend in Neumünster, the party failed to present a proper programme or clear organisational structures, writes the liberal-conservative Neue Zürcher Zeitung, seeing this as an ominous sign: "From this perspective you could say it's scandalous that almost ten percent of the German electorate sees this chaotic bunch as the country's future. But that would overlook the fact that the established parties, too, have played a none too negligible role in the rise of the neo-Pirates. You don't have to look too far to find evidence of this. For instance the unbelievable circus about a government childcare benefit that has kept the German public on tenterhooks for weeks now highlights once again the lack of inspiration and seriousness in government policy. This kind of behaviour doesn't exactly set a good example for our times either." (29/04/2012)

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The left-liberal opposition alliance USL toppled the Romanian centre-right government with a vote of no confidence on Friday. It's now the task of the leader of the social democratic PSD, Victor Ponta, to form a new government. But the left-liberal alliance may soon regret its move, warns the daily newspaper Gândul: "Not quite in power yet, the Ponta cabinet is already promising to eliminate the social injustices of its predecessor. ... For example the minimum wage is to go up by 26 percent to 850 lei [around 212 euros], and the VAT on staple foods is to be reduced. … But the euphoria may dissipate in the next few days and the government may have to be more careful with its promises. Because the new government will be made to pay for even the smallest mistakes. Six months [until the elections in November] is a short time for a government to prove itself, but for the voters long enough to see whether it really is better. By autumn, Ponta and Antonescu [who have led the opposition until now] may regret they didn't have more time." (30/04/2012)

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