Articles
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Netherlands: “Europe’s pain in the neck” falls into line
18 September 20125117 De Volkskrant Amsterdam -
France : Europe — taboo subject for François Hollande
17 September 201217356 Le Monde Paris -
Greece: Exarchia — the Hell’s Kitchen of Athens
17 September 20121446 To Vima Athens -
Democracy: Put citizens at the heart of the Union
14 September 201247456 Gazeta Wyborcza Warsaw -
Netherlands: The East’s “strawberry pickers” make the stage
14 September 20121144 De Volkskrant Amsterdam -
Eurozone: Now politicians have no more excuses
13 September 20128978 La Repubblica Rome -
Estonia: Austerity as a way of life
13 September 201210616 Eesti Ekspress Tallinn -
European institutions: Technocrats pave the way for the sceptics
12 September 201216538 El País Madrid -
Netherlands: Europe inflames electoral debate
11 September 20126017 Libération Paris -
Debate: The Eurozone devalues Europe
11 September 2012198118 Ta Nea Athens -
Citizenship: But what is “Your Voice in Europe”?
10 September 20128224 Dilema Veche Bucharest -
Debate: More Europe? More hot air
10 September 201218638 Público Lisbon -
Eurozone: Draghi saves the single currency
7 September 2012105135 El País Madrid -
Eurozone crisis: A new war of religion
7 September 2012532274 Corriere della Sera Milan -
Interview: Paul Krugman: “The euro is a shaky construction”
6 September 201262880 L'Express Paris -
European Union: Not the right moment for “more Europe”
6 September 201210734 Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich -
Greece: Fight neo-nazis with ideas
5 September 201225150 To Vima Athens -
Germany: Goodbye to nuclear, welcome back coal
5 September 201248592 Wprost Warsaw -
Estonia: Young democracy beset by scandals
4 September 2012866 Postimees Tallinn -
Interview (2/2): André Glucksmann: Europe let down by its intellectuals
4 September 201217113 Der Spiegel Hamburg -
Eurozone: Draghi, the one true statesman
3 September 2012157214 Le Monde Paris -
Interview (1/2): André Glucksmann: “Modern Europe is characterised by the notion of crisis”
3 September 20121349 Der Spiegel Hamburg -
Debate: A federal Europe may be a pipe dream
31 August 2012212182 La Repubblica Rome -
Humour in Europe (10/10) : A cure for the crisis: post-war Greek comedies
31 August 2012782 Le Monde Paris -
France : Blue blood defends Gypsies
31 August 201224511 Libération Paris -
Greece: 21st century Nazis
30 August 20122308160 The Independent London -
Czech Republic: Ready for a ‛clean hands’ operation
30 August 2012729 Hospodářské Noviny Prague -
Humour in Europe (9/10) : Kremlin remains well-spring for gags
30 August 2012496 Le Monde Paris -
Debate: Defending European democracy
29 August 201211150 Dilema Veche Bucharest -
Spain: Workers’ cooperative defies crisis
29 August 2012262825 Público Madrid -
Humour in Europe (8/10): Belgian punchlines – split personality
29 August 2012612 Le Monde Paris -
Debate: Our true European community
28 August 201218890 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurt -
Humour in Europe (7/10) : Lampoon culture thrives in Iceland
28 August 2012773 Le Monde Paris -
Romania: Farce and tragedy in Bucharest
27 August 201225525 La Repubblica Rome -
Humour in Europe (6/10) : Deadpan comedy – a UK staple
27 August 20127237 Le Monde Paris -
EU-Middle East: Hezbollah - EU friend or foe?
24 August 201212422 The New York Times New York -
Humour in Europe (5/10) : Romanian jokes that got around the censor
24 August 201220716 Le Monde Paris -
Banking secrecy : Billion-euro whistleblower
24 August 2012102418 El País Madrid -
Eurozone crisis: Berlin restores realpolitik
23 August 201284373 Il Sole-24 Ore Milan -
Humour in Europe (4/10): Spain’s bawdy smash hit
23 August 2012742 Le Monde Paris -
Referendum: Poll prayer: Europe must vote
23 August 201214296 De Morgen Brussels -
Humour in Europe (3/10) : The series that sends up the middle class
22 August 2012771 Le Monde Paris -
Debate: Europeans — too different to get along
22 August 201239090 Dagens Nyheter Stockholm -
United Kingdom: Assange helps case for EU extradition law
22 August 20125625 The Daily Telegraph London -
Debt crisis: Iphigenia, Jonah and the sacrifice of Greece
21 August 201213447 I Kathimerini Athens -
Humour in Europe (2/10) : In Italy, the joke is on them
21 August 201214415 Le Monde Paris -
Russia: Pussy Riot debacle echoes old school communism
21 August 201214912 Respekt Prague -
Eurozone crisis: Black autumn for the euro
20 August 201226142 Público Lisbon -
Humour in Europe 1/10: Tickling Germany’s funny bone
20 August 201212025 Le Monde Paris -
Eastern Europe: Eurozone crisis threatens liberal reform
20 August 20127715 The Guardian London
Winner of the Dutch elections, centre-right prime minister Mark Rutte will be forced to form a coalition with Labour. He will therefore have to temper his criticism of the EU, to the great relief of Brussels ... and Berlin. 
Ever since his election, François Hollande has hardly mentioned Europe. Embarrassed by left-wing bickering over the ratification of the fiscal compact, France’s new president also knows that voters tend to turn against the EU in times of crisis. A Le Monde columnist warns that he will nevertheless have to consult the French people on the subject one day. 
Historical stronghold of anarchists in the heart of Athens, the square has become a thermometer of Greek society during the crisis. Among the artists’ squats and trendy youth dropping by to breathe the air of protest, trafficking and violence are growing. 
Europe today is suffering an erosion of representative democracy, citizenship and solidarity, making emerging from the crisis that much harder. If the Union cannot encourage an upswing in citizen participation it will not survive in its current form, warns a Polish columnist. 
Through a theatre performance about Eastern European migrants, a theatre maker in the southern Netherlands town of Zundert, with some 3,000 Eastern European labour migrants, hopes to bridge the divide between local inhabitants and the immigrants. 
The verdict of the German Constitutional Court has ended the first part of the 'war of the unification’ of Europe. Today, though, a new phase is opening up: the battle to convince national politicians to accept the surrender of sovereignty necessary for the EU of tomorrow. 
The most recent entrants in the Eurozone have come to terms with the austere management of the country’s finances and their own personal spending, to the point where not putting a penny astray has become a point of national pride. 
In an effort to relaunch the European project, Herman Van Rompuy and Mario Monti are proposing an extraordinary summit. At a time when the democratic deficit in the running of the EU is coming under increasing fire, this idea dreamed up by two unelected leaders is rather unwelcome, notes a Spanish political scientist. 
On the eve of parliamentary elections, austerity and the insecurity of Dutch society are bolstering anti-European sentiment and firming up the desire to stop paying for the other member countries. 
For months, both Greeks and Germans have been talking about the possibility of Greece leaving the euro. And one of the implications of this discussion is that outside of the single currency, there is no EU — a notion that Greek writer Petros Markaris remarks is divisive to the point where it encourages mutual disdain. 
European citizens are sure to have opinions on topics such as the regulations that cover finance or those that cover fruits and vegetables, and even notions of what the EU will be in 2020. And now, on a website launched by the European Commission, they can express those views. However, their views are not always very illuminating, writes a Romanian journalist. 
European leaders are touting the concept of more integration as the key to overcoming the crisis, much to the annoyance of a Portuguese historian who takes issue with their insouciance and empty words. 
In announcing that the ECB will buy up the debt of countries in distress, Mario Draghi is compensating yet again for the inaction of European leaders. And he is standing up again as the one who is changing the rules of the game – exactly what we needed, rejoices El País. 
The opposition between ”virtuous” Northern countries and the “prodigal” South is looking increasingly like the historical fracture between Protestantism and Catholicism, notes an Italian columnist and Vatican expert. 
To save the single currency beset by difficulties that stem from its initial design, Economics Nobel Prize laureate Paul Krugman argues that Europe should set its sights on low inflation but forget about implementing uniform austerity measures. 
Debt union? Banking union? Political union? The desire for a radical overhaul of Europe is understandable. But in spite of the calls for changes that are needed to resolve the ongoing political and economic crisis, Europeans do not appear to be ready for more integration. 
The Golden Dawn’s increasing recourse to violence has been fed by the identity crisis of a people striving to cope with economic meltdown, and by the timidity of a deligitimised political class. A Greek political scientist warns that the time has come for a genuine ideological struggle to counter the drift towards the far right. 
Instead of causing an explosion of “green energies”, the exit from nuclear that Angela Merkel announced in 2011 will bring about the building of new – and highly polluting – coal-burning plants. It’s an option that hasn’t annoyed Germany’s environmentalists. 
Tallinn has been swept by a series of similar scandals. Politicians take their time responding, preferring to keep a low profile for fear of being caught up in their turn. In the meantime, the institutions that are meant to oversee checks and balances in Estonia are struggling to gain credibility and finding it hard to make progress. 
In the throes of a crisis of confidence, Europe now has to contend with question of its democratic legitimacy. Given this context, French intellectual André Glucksmann argues for greater solidarity within the EU, and a community that takes the initiative in response to external challenges. 
On 6 September, the European Central Bank President is expected to announce that his institution will attempt to resolve the Eurozone crisis by buring Spanish and Italian debt. Notwithstanding German opposition to this decision, Le Monde argues that it has the merit of defining a way forward for Europe. 
Financial meltdown, destabilised society, and an enfeebled common project: there are many facets to the problems that have affected the EU in recent years. Now that they have returned to work after the summer break, European leaders are faced with a number of important decisions. Der Spiegel asked French intellectual André Glucksmann about their chances of restoring Europe's lost momentum. 
At the whim of their leaders, more and more countries, beginning with Germany, are foregoing their projects for a federal Europe. But this is making room for some unique alternatives, such as a Club of Mediterranean countries or a Latino Union, notes the doyen of the Italian press. 
Athens is the last stop in Le Monde's quest for humour. The 1950s comic films, whose plucky heroes give one the courage to forge ahead, are all the rage. A reflection of current times, perhaps. 
A scion of affluent neighbourhoods, educated at an English public school and currently a law student, nothing predestined Louis de Gouyon Matignon for the presidency of an association that protects Gypsy culture. Yet, this grandson of a marquis has embraced the cause and the religion of the Manouche, French travellers. 
While the Paralympic Games begin today in London, in Athens, the ultra-right Golden Dawn party, is promoting hate-attacks against people with disabilities and homosexuals, having already targeted immigrants and ethnic minorities, says one UK commentator. In this atmosphere, which echoes the rise of Nazism in Germany, the Greek government and EU are turning a blind eye. 
As the economic crisis develops, Czech people are becoming less and less tolerant of corruption. If the political elite remain unable to reform, they run the risk of ending up in disrepute like the Italian politicians of the 1990s. This would have explosive effects in society at large, says a political scientist. 
In spite of censorship, making light of the whims of successive regimes has always been the favoured pastime of a people eager to seize on the ridiculous side of of their political leaders. The penultimate article in the Le Monde series on humour takes us to Moscow where the flame of insolence continues to burn bright. 
Weakened all over the world, democracy now appears to be under attack in Europe. Discussing the political crisis that has struck his country, a Romanian commentator remarks that the EU should perhaps be better equipped to defend such a core value. 
Unemployment is non-existent in Marinaleda, an Andalusian village in southern Spain that is prosperous thanks to its farming cooperative. In a country in the grip of austerity, the village mayor, Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, heads a grassroots resistance movement. 
Direct in Flanders or oblique in Wallonia, the different forms of Belgian humour are a reflection of a complex and multifaceted country. But their dominant characteristic continues to be a healthy mix of self-deprecation, modesty and mockery. 
Fiscal union in order to complete the single currency is the only way out of the crisis, says German writer Martin Walser. But it is important to remember that the true Europe has always been a community of learning, which respects the various cultures that make it up. 
When you live far away from the rest of the world and are descended from Vikings – a people hardly known for their communication skills – knowing the art of self-deprecating comedy seems to come naturally. In the seventh part of its series on humour, Le Monde takes us to Reykjavik where parody is the best cure for narcissism. 
Runaway corruption and the political crisis prompted by the battle between President Băsescu and Prime Minister Ponta have shown that Romania’s transition to democracy is far from complete. Writer Adriano Sofri explains that Romanians are bitter and resigned, although some believe that the country still has a bright future. 
Humour is to the United Kingdom what Nelson's Column is to Trafalgar Square: a monument! You do not mess around with internationally recognised quality like this, explains Le Monde in its sixth part of its series on European humour. 
Branded terrorists by the US, the Shiite radical group Hezbollah has offices throughout Europe, insisting it is simply a political and humanitarian organisation raising money that is funnelled to the group’s leadership in Lebanon. But are Europe’s security services paying close enough attention, wonders the New York Times. 
During the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu, Romanians told jokes to exorcise the brutality of the dictatorship. In this fifth installment of its series on humour, Le Monde says that in Bucharest, today they laugh capitalism. 
Hervé Falciani is the 40-year-old computer technician who provided several European governments access to files listing the names of the thousands of their citizens evading taxes via bank accounts at HSBC's Swiss affiliate. Arrested in Barcelona in late July, he is awaiting extradition to Switzerland. 
In the wake of a jittery summer, the eurozone can look forward to a more tranquil autumn, with northern European countries, and in particular Germany, adopting a more pragmatic approach. The richer EU states have finally come to the realisation that the end of the euro would have catastrophic consequences both for the EU and the world at large. However, that does not mean they are ready to cut their partners some slack, or that the crisis will be resolved anytime soon. 
Torrente, the epitome of crass, is delighting Spanish audiences with its vulgar but liberating humour. In the fourth part of its series on comedy in Europe, Le Monde focuses on the extreme caricature of a society in crisis. 
An essential corollary of monetary and fiscal union, the political union discussed by European leaders and the Constitution that goes with it, cannot be legitimate unless it can be achieved democratically. To achieve this, it must be put to pan-European consultation, according to a Flemish writer. 
The television series Solsidan mocks the golden dreams of the middle class. And it proves so popular among Swedes because they see in it themselves, writes Le Monde, in this third installment in its series on humour. 
Above and beyond the diverging economic performance of EU countries, cultural differences between the people of Europe constitute the main obstacle to the creation of a homogeneous European society. Given the extent of these divisions, it is not surprising that the European project has run into difficulty. 
The parable of Julian Assange, holed-up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, at least had the merit of demonstrating that the European Arrest Warrant system, which is being used to apprehend the WikiLeaks co-founder, does in fact work, the Eurosceptic Daily Telegraph begrudingly admits. 
While Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras starts his European tour seeking an easing of the terms of the bail-out for Greece, columnist Nikos Konstandaras uses ancient myths to explain that throwing Athens overboard will not save the euro. 
From the "commedia dell'arte" to the cynical characters of the cartoonist Altan, Italy has always had a caustic sense of humour. In the latest part in its series on humour, Le Monde says that the archetypes of Italian society have a bright future ahead of them. 
The trial of three members of the punk feminist band sentenced to two years in labour camp on August 17, is reminiscent of the treatment of the rock band Plastic People of the Universe of Czechoslovakia in the 1970s. It demonstrates the same intolerance towards "sowers of disorder" and other critics of the regime. 
If August was relatively reassuring on the sovereign debt front, the signals that we are moving towards a “Black September” for the euro are getting stronger. The distrust between the "virtuous" states and the most indebted ones has brought the EU dangerously near the point of no return. 
Who said the Germans don't know how to laugh? In this first part in a series on European humour, Le Monde explores the nation's cabaret culture, a phenomenon that endured even East Germany's Cold War period. 
Not only is the eurozone crisis shaking the world to its financial foundations, it is also having unforseen political consequences in the former communist states, helping unpick progress made towards democracy in eastern Europe, argues lawyer Andrea Capussela.