In times of crisis, paying tribute to the German-French reconciliation should be more than just a symbolic gesture, and the EU finance ministers need to bear this in mind at their meeting today, the left-liberal daily Delo contends: "The problem is that until now the EU's measures haven't solved the crisis, but only deepened it. No one dares say where the border is that marks the beginning of the end of the Monetary Union, a border that must not be crossed. The only thing the EU is concerned with is saving itself from the crisis. And that is not only a debt, finance and banking crisis, but a genuine European political crisis that has shaken the very equilibrium of the old continent. And now, in the midst of that crisis, we have the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the German-French reconciliation, which is seen as the cornerstone of the EU. The appreciation that is now being shown for the achievements of the past decades should for that reason be more than just symbolic. ... Half a decade after the reconciliation mass in Reims attended by Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle, Europe once more faces historic challenges." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política financiera, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Peter Žerjavič
Cobertura de debates » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

After the celebrations in Reims Angela Merkel and François Hollande must follow their grand gestures with deeds, the conservative daily Le Figaro urges: "Hollande and Merkel can walk in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors, who forged new ties of friendship between France and Germany in Reims, Verdun and even on the beaches of Normandy. There has been much talk in recent weeks about disagreements and distance: that Paris and Berlin are supposedly growing ever farther apart. Nevertheless the summit in Brussels on June 28 and 29 painted a somewhat different picture. Both sides played their part in setting Europe once more on the path to progress. Now François Hollande will need Angela Merkel, if he wants France to follow suit. Without greater European integration our economy will be lost, whether the anti-globalists and other nay-sayers on the Left like it or not. That being said, Hollande must first introduce the reforms that all of our partners are expecting of us." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Vecindad de la UE, » Alemania, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Pierre Rousselin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande are working towards the same goal, saving the euro, but they have different priorities, the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera concludes, and puts its hopes in Angela Merkel's powers as a leader: "More than moving at two different speeds, Europe's problem is that it has two different timetables. But unfortunately the wrong timetable for this patient's course of treatment could be fatal. At the most recent Brussels EU summit the two fronts were broken up. The timetables were brought a little closer to each other and a major step forwards was taken, which others must now follow. Angela Merkel plays a key role here. After the summit it was said that she had 'yielded too much'. … At the same time she and her Europe policy are gaining more and more support in the polls. A contradiction? No, more a trusting call for leadership, for the far-sightedness of a statesman that Merkel has not always possessed and which is urgently needed to bring the two timetables into harmony so that they don't land in history's wastepaper basket." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Alemania, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Franco Venturini
Cobertura de debates » The row over debt mutualisation

Almost 300 German economists are currently squabbling over the question of whether the Eurozone should rescue ailing banks. This has the effect of demystifying the expertocraty and freeing its slaves, including the German politicians, writes the leftist daily tageszeitung: "Because it shatters the self-image cherished by the economists that they are engaged in a science that pronounces 'truths'. … This exposes what all the mathematical formulas and pseudo-objectivity of the laws of nature were supposed to conceal: economic theories are always driven by interests. They are part of a struggle over power - and the distribution of wealth. … It also does the politicians good to see the economists totally embattled. Because up to now they have put too much faith in the expertocracy. But if it's so obvious that no 'truths' can be expected from those quarters, the primacy of politics applies once more." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política financiera, » Economía política, » Alemania, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Ulrike Herrmann
Cobertura de debates » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

The suicide rate in Greece has risen dramatically. According to the Greek emergency services, in the Athens area alone there were 350 attempted suicides in June, with 50 deaths. These statistics revealing the level of people's desperation must be taken into account when implementing the harsh austerity programme, warns the business paper Ependytis: "The representatives of the troika come here with their precise schedules, their orderly files, their perfect statistics and their non-negotiable criteria, which will doubtless strongly condemn the country's performance. Will anyone show them the statistics of desperation? … No negotiation or renegotiation [with creditors] will be at all worthwhile if it isn't done on behalf of the people. The European leadership, which presents itself as the guardian of the humanist values that have become established in Europe, needs to be re-vaccinated with the basic elements of this humanism. The mountain of debt, the deficit, the loan will all be worth nothing if the 'Greek patient' is allowed to drown in desperation." (08/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Economía política, » Ética, » Grecia, » Europa, » Global
Cobertura de debates » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

Today's meeting of Eurozone finance ministers could reach a compromise on the successor to Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the Euro Group. According to media reports, a rotation model is in the offing whereby the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and his French counterpart Pierre Moscovici would share the tasks. The left-liberal daily Der Standard believes Schäuble is the best candidate: "Of course there were reservations among certain partners right from the start. The most powerful finance minister in the Eurozone, the man who decides over the fate of the bailout fund, could not also act as chairman, they said. But it has also long been clear that France, the second-largest economy in the euro, would tip the scales. … As a rule the 'small' countries are the better mediators, even if they have less power. Nevertheless: so far no one has come up with an alternative to Schäuble. The German European from Freiburg would be a superb choice: physical proof that Germany fully backs the euro, so to speak.” (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política financiera, » Alemania, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Thomas Mayer
Cobertura de debates » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

Growing criticism has been heard from Europe and the US after the Romanian parliament resolved on Friday to suspend President Traian Băsescu. The news agency Hotnews fears economic consequences for the country: "Germany has given a voice to old Europe's well-known frustration: that Romania wasn't ready to join the EU in 2007 and doesn't deserve to remain in the club in 2012. ... More happened on July 6 than Traian Băsescu's suspension. The [governing alliance] USL also catapulted Romania from the Western orbit. And it has shattered any hope that the country has a democratic future. ... Any reasonable investor, any serious bank, will now think ten times before placing money in such an unpredictable and unstable country. ... Here, basic rules are changed overnight, judicial decisions are ignored and, as in the period between 2000 and 2004, large companies risk falling under the control of certain smaller groups. ... Will Brussels be able to rescue us this time as well?" (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Europa, » EE.UU., » Rumania
Todos los textos disponible de » Dan Tapalaga

Serbia's new Prime Minister Ivica Dačić plans to work in close cooperation with the new president and former ultra-nationalist Tomislav Nikolić. The EU faces turbulent times in Serbia and Kosovo, writes the left-liberal daily Politiken: "The new duo wants to become a member of the EU while re-establishing Serbian dominance in Kosovo. This can't end well and is a major challenge for the EU. … Under these circumstances EU membership for Serbia and Kosovo seems a long way off. But in the meantime a lot can be done to promote regional cooperation. For Serbia is decisive for stability in the Balkan states and for the secure advance of the entire region towards Europe." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Vecindad de la UE, » Europa, » Serbia, » Kosovo

Libya's first free elections were held on Saturday, roughly nine months after the fall of dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi. It looks like the liberal alliance of the head of the transition government, Mahmoud Jibril, is clearly in the lead. The new government must bring the federalists in the east of the country on board, writes the liberal-conservative Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "The voter turnout could be around 60 percent, which in view of the boycott and the disruptive actions in the east is a respectable figure. However it is still unclear whether the National Congress elected on Saturday will accept the narrowing of its competences. Whether it or another body draws up the constitution: regional interests will have to be taken into account in the new Libya. The 'federalists' of Cyrenaika control four-fifths of all Libya's oil wells and have no intention of giving up this asset so quickly." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Elecciones, » Libia
Todos los textos disponible de » Anton Christen
Cobertura de debates » El mundo árabe lucha por la libertad

After Spain recently officially requested assistance for its banks, the finance ministers of the Euro Group must fight to ensure that the bank rescue operation is at all successful at their meeting this Monday, writes the business daily Cinco Días: "It is a month ago today since Spain agreed with the Euro Group to apply for assistance with the recapitalising of part of its financial sector. Four weeks that have only confirmed the fears of the Spanish government. Because if the operation miscarries, the worst-managed part of the private sector would burden the state and put the country in danger of having to be bailed out completely. … If this vicious circle isn't broken [at today's meeting] or if the markets don't interpret it as having been broken, it seems unlikely that the Eurozone's first experiment with a bank bailout will have a positive outcome." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política financiera, » Bancos, » España, » Europa
Cobertura de debates » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento, » Spain in the banking crisis

According to a report by the German news magazine Der Spiegel, the European Central Bank rejects the proposals by the EU Commission regarding the tasks of a future European Banking Authority. Brussels is demanding that the EBA supervise the banks in all 27 EU states. The conservative daily Rzeczpospolita fears for the autonomy of the Polish banks: "A large part of the Polish banking sector is dependent on foreign banks. If a pan-European banking authority is introduced, it will focus on the situation of parent banks and not on the subsidiaries in the countries in the periphery [of the EU]. Such an authority however also makes it easier to introduce obligations on capital accumulation that hold for the entire group, and not for the individual banks that act as part of this group. As a consequence, Polish capital will be used to bail out the ailing parent banks." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Bancos, » Polonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Pawel Pelc
Cobertura de debates » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

The Olympic Games begin in three weeks in London. But in view of the uncontrolled market capitalism in the British capital there's not much to celebrate, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: "It's a safe haven for the rich from the economically flailing southern European states, who are investing their money in real estate. … London Mayor Boris Johnson has even invited French seeking to escape the socialist heavy tax policy of new President François Hollande to take up residence here. … Ever since the 'Big Bang' of the great stock market liberalisation in the mid 1980s the city has stood for unbridled financial market capitalism. It was here that the toxic securities and derivatives were created that brought the world to the brink of economic destruction. … It doesn't take a great leap of the imagination to picture the youth riots that rocked the city last summer breaking out again. That could put a damper on the Olympics party mood." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política financiera, » Economía política, » Mercado de finanzas, » Olimpiadas, » Gran Bretaña, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Andreas Oldag

The TV production company Talpa is planning a new TV show in which children chose a foster family for themselves. The company hopes to draw attention to the major shortage of foster families in the country with the show. The left-liberal daily De Volkskrant says this is a sick idea: "Many people will do anything to get on television, even if they're dying of pain or caught up in a terrible divorce drama. For many others this is incomprehensible. But adults are free to choose, even if they can't always grasp the consequences. Here, however, the protagonist is a child that can no longer live at home. The child's private sphere must be protected, even if he or she wants to do the show. It's also questionable that the child should choose among three foster families. It's good for the child to have a say but in the end the experts must decide which family is most suitable. It's a sick idea to exploit children in a casting show format of the 'Holland's Next Top Model' type." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medios de comunicación audiovisuales, » Ética, » Holanda
Todos los textos disponible de » Peter Giesen

Roger Federer won the Wimbledon tennis tournament on Sunday for the seventh time. The Swiss player beat the Scot Andy Murray in four sets. Murray was the first British player since 1938 to reach the mens singles final. The conservative daily Lidové noviny praises Federer for his comeback: "Who would begrudge Andy Murray a grand slam title? On his own turf in Wimbledon of all places, where his countrymen have been awaiting a British victory for 76 years. But the front pages once more show a beaming Federer. ... Few believed he could win again. He's over 30. The younger players seem to play a faster, harder and more precise game. But Federer didn't just pack up and go. He showed everyone that he is the greatest legend of an entire tennis epoch. Murray will give the Brits a Wimbledon victory one day. But yesterday's match belonged to Federer. As a seal of victory on his historic career." (09/07/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Deportes, » Gran Bretaña, » Suiza
Todos los textos disponible de » Ondřej Suchan