Politics
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Debt crisis: Iphigenia, Jonah and the sacrifice of Greece
21 August 201213447 I Kathimerini Athens -
Romania: Constitutional court reinstates President Traian Băsescu
21 August 2012251PresseuropAdevărul, Jurnalul Naţional, VoxPublica.ro -
Eurozone crisis: Black autumn for the euro
20 August 201226442 Público Lisbon -
Eastern Europe: Eurozone crisis threatens liberal reform
20 August 20127715 The Guardian London -
United Kingdom-Sweden: Outrage as Ecuador grants asylum to Assange
17 August 20122250PresseuropDagens Nyheter, The Times -
Ideas: In 2014, let’s make the elections truly European
17 August 201222358 La Repubblica Rome -
Albania-EU: “Let us in, you bastards!”
15 August 201218096 Gazeta Wyborcza Warsaw -
Norway: “We could have stopped Breivik”
14 August 2012255PresseuropAftenposten -
United Kingdom: Olympics over, now back to work
13 August 2012417 The Independent London -
Languages: Brussels and the translator shortage
8 August 201240514PresseuropSüddeutsche Zeitung -
Slovakia: Tainted by corruption in Bratislava, in charge of privatisation in Athens
7 August 20121076PresseuropSME, The Slovak Spectator -
Austria: Legacy of Jörg Haider’s dirty money
3 August 2012452PresseuropFalter -
Euromyths (10/10): You can do what you want, if you manage your budget
3 August 20126619 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Euromyths (9/10): National identity just hasn’t been eroded
2 August 201217451 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Euromyths (8/10): They straighten bananas for your own good
1 August 201215519 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Democracy: Europe isn’t turning extremist
31 July 201211312 The Irish Times Dublin -
Euromyths (7/10): Not every law comes from Brussels
30 July 2012774 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Romania: A referendum where everyone is a loser
30 July 2012604PresseuropJurnalul Naţional, România libera, Adevărul, Gandul -
Internet: European cybersecurity at the mercy of hackers
30 July 20121107PresseuropLibération, El País -
Hungary: Orbán considers alternative to democracy
30 July 20121693PresseuropNépszava, Magyar Nemzet, Magyar Narancs -
Euromyths (6/10): The Eurocracy is really quite small
30 July 2012743 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Romania: For and against the “dictator Băsescu”
27 July 2012416 Jurnalul Naţional Bucharest -
Greece: Barroso’s solidarity gets chilly reception
27 July 2012208PresseuropTo Vima -
Euromyths (5/10): EU remains a selective club
27 July 20124913 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Eurozone crisis: EU’s leaders roam uncharted waters
26 July 20127647 NRC Handelsblad Amsterdam -
Enlargement: Slovenia threatens to scupper Croatian accession
26 July 2012452PresseuropSME -
Euromyths (4/10): Still good value for your money
26 July 20123911 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Spain: Catalonia joins the shipwreck
25 July 20128331PresseuropEl País, El Mundo, El Periódico de Catalunya, La Vanguardia -
Germany-Poland: Schengen good for tractor thieves
25 July 2012183PresseuropDie Welt -
Eurozone: Athens’ efforts undermined by “doomsayers”
25 July 20124PresseuropI Kathimerini -
Euromyths (3/10): EU budget — little money, much waste
25 July 2012718 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Euromyths (2/10): Lobbies, not always a bad thing
24 July 20121106 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Spain: ECB is making things worse
23 July 201212044 ABC Madrid -
Slovakia: No separation of church and state
23 July 2012345PresseuropPravda -
Euromyths (1/10) : The democratic deficit — smaller than you think
23 July 20125629 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Spain: Looking for a new team spirit
20 July 20129657 El País Madrid -
Romania: Justice — at the heart of the power struggle
19 July 20129714 Le Monde Paris -
Institutions: Barroso takes advantage of the crisis
19 July 2012383PresseuropDer Spiegel -
Institutions: There’s a place for euro-heretics too
19 July 201213718 De Groene Amsterdammer Amsterdam -
Romania and Bulgaria: Bucharest and Sofia, still incorrigible for Commission
18 July 2012788PresseuropRomânia libera, Adevărul, Sega & 2 others -
Italy : How to move away from a technocratic government
17 July 20127435 Corriere della Sera Milan -
Former Czechoslovakia: Crossed destinies of the velvet divorcees
17 July 201211410 Respekt Prague -
Romania: EU’s vigilance doesn’t please everyone
16 July 2012476PresseuropJurnalul Naţional, Adevărul -
Debate: Brussels’ smothering embrace
16 July 201214119 Die Welt Berlin -
Belgium: BHV — a problem solved amidst indifference
13 July 2012194PresseuropLe Soir, De Standaard, De Morgen -
Democracy: Time to elect the EU president
11 July 201230070 Fokus Stockholm -
Spain: High price for financial aid
11 July 2012274PresseuropEl País, El Mundo -
Romania: Fight to the death between president and government
11 July 2012244PresseuropEvenimentul zilei, Adevărul, Jurnalul Naţional -
Germany: Karlsruhe — the court that could bury the euro
10 July 201225750 Der Spiegel Hamburg -
Romania: Europe condemns in a vacuum
9 July 2012663 Adevărul Bucharest
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. 
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. 
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. 
Although there is indeed a European public space, a true political union is still far off. Why not make this ambitious challenge the issue of the 2014 elections to mobilise voters around a grand European project?, asks Andrea Manzella, a professor of Italian law. 
Of all states wishing to join the EU, the "Land of the Eagles" seems more motivated than most. But the chance of obtaining candidate status at the moment is pretty slim, because there is so much progress yet to be made. At the border with Greece, the movement of migrants is a good indicator of how both economies are faring. 
As the UK goes back to work after its two-week holiday soaking up a little international kudos, Prime Minister David Cameron could well be wishing a little Olympic spirit was enough to solve the nation’s problems, starting with the economy, believes columnist Ian Birrell. 
With the entry into force of the fiscal pact, many argue that a state's prerogative to determine its income and expenditure will have all but disappeared. In the final article of its euromyths series, the Groene Amsterdammer assesses what room for manoeurvre states now have. 
Eurosceptics argue that EU integration undermines national identities and cultures. But is there such thing as a common “European identity”? In its continuing series on euromyths, De Groene Amsterdammer tries to sound out what Europeans think. 
The EU is often said to regulate on the tiniest things, from the curve of a cucumber to the size of chocolate eggs. But is this a truly useless activity? In its continuing series on euromyths, De Groene Amsterdammer sets the record... straight. 
Despite warnings that the European electorate, frustrated by economic decline and austerity, would fall into the arms of EU-phobic, immigrant bashing extremists, it still continues to plump for the moderate mainstream. 
It’s said that 80% of our laws come from European legislation, a percentage cites by eurosceptics as well as europhiles. In its continuing series on euromyths, De Groene Amsterdammer finds that this figure just doesn’t add up. 
Called on to confirm the impeachment of President Traian Băsescu by referendum, the Romanians have delivered two messages. By failing to pass the fifty-percent participation threshold (only 46.23 percent came out to vote) they invalidated the referendum, which lets the president cling on to power. But by voting overwhelmingly for his dismissal (87.52 percent), they leave him weakened. 
Is the EU really is a cumbersome and expensive bureaucracy comprising vast numbers of civil servants, churning out endless amounts of rules? Dutch weekly newsmagazine De Groene Amsterdammer sets out to find an answer to the question in its euromyths series. 
On 29 July, Romania holds a referendum to confirm or reject the impeachment of the country’s president approved by parliament early this month. The run-up to the vote has been marked by particularly vicious campaigns mounted by both sides and scathing articles in the press: these two opposing editorials from Jurnalul Naţional and Adevărul are a case in point. 
The EU already has twenty-seven members, and more are knocking on the door. But isn't the process of enlargement undermining its founding principles and energies? De Groene Amsterdammer continues its series on euromyths. 
European leaders have been have been accused of “improvising” their way through the debt crisis for the last two and a half years. But given the uniqueness of the event, are they completely to blame? wonders an NRC Handelsblad columnist. 
As Eurosceptics like to point out, the Netherlands is one of the EU’s biggest net contributors, and therefore pays “billions of euros” into Brussels’ coffers. Do the Dutch get anything in return? De Groene Amsterdammer tries to find out in its continuing series on euromyths. 
The request for financial aid addressed to Spain’s central government by the region of Catalonia will further compound the debt crisis for the entire country. The press in Madrid and Barcelona points out that it has also highlighted the budgetary excesses of Spain’s regions. 
The EU spends too much money and it does so for pointless projects, goes the usual reproach. But is it really so wasteful? asks Groene Amsterdammer in its third Euromyth investigation. 
Lobbies hovering around Brussels are legion but what is their role? And do they win every time? In the second part of its investigation into euromyths, the Groene Amsterdammer analyses the power relations between EU institutions and pressure groups. 
What with market pressures, nationwide anti-austerity demonstrations and regional government on the brink of financial collapse: the Spanish government doesn’t have much room for manoeuvre. And the ECB seems to be doing everything to force a full bail-out with outside supervision, laments an ABC writer. 
The EU is criticised for being bureaucratic, wasteful, and in thrall to lobbies... and not just from dyed in the wool eurosceptics. Dutch weekly De Groene Amsterdammer has decided to sift true from the false with a collection of 10 “euromyths”. First up — the democratic deficit. 
On July 19, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against the austerity policies of the Mariano Rajoy government. Today, when a leap forward is needed, the trust between Spaniards and those who govern them has broken down, deplores sociologist Fernando Vallespín.
Behind Victor Ponta’s latest political offensive, which led to the dismissal of President Traian Băsescu, hides a will to control the recently reformed judicial system. All this amidst a slew of corruption scandals. 
MEPs and public servants in Brussels are frequently stereotyped as members of a “religion”. This is because they live in a blanket pro-European environment, writes a Dutch journalist. But different voices are now being heard. 
Two reports published on July 18 by the European Commission regarding the rule of law in Romania and in Bulgaria, both of which joined the EU in 2007, stress both countries' lack of democracy and poor records in the fight against crime. These two findings have sparked a debate in the both their national presses. 
Last year, to calm the markets, Italy resorted to a government of unelected technocrats. But with elections coming up in 2013, one columnist writes, the only way for political parties to regain public confidence is to propose public works projects. 
On 17 July 1992, the Slovak parliament proclaimed the sovereignty of the Slovak republic, paving the way for the split-up of Czechoslovakia. Twenty years on, the Slovaks have overcome their demons and adapted to Europe. For the Czechs, an examination of the national conscience has yet to be done. 
Is the shadow of Brussels beneficial or not to a country's democracy? In the midst of the debate on the dismissal of Romanian President Traian Băsescu, the Romanian press is divided on the issue, demonstrating a certain ambivalence towards the European Union. 
In the name of serving the greater good of the EU, Brussels claims it is forced to strong-arm its members. Examples from Romania, Hungary and Italy, however, reveal something quite different: civil society and local cultures are sometimes being sacrificed. 
Why do Europeans know more about Obama and Romney than Barroso and Van Rompuy? Because they cannot elect the leaders of the EU, writes Swedish journalist Martin Ǻdahl. The best way to address this European "democratic deficit" would be to put the candidate to the electoral test. 
As the German constitutional court in Karlsruhe sits down to examine the controversial fiscal compact, Berlin fears that it could decide to scupper the entire eurozone bailout. But this isn’t only about Europe, writes Der Spiegel, there’s also a power struggle going on between the executive and the judiciary. 
The suspension of President Băsescu orchestrated by the Prime Minister has triggered several warnings from Europe. These criticisms, though, come down mostly to community power games and should change nothing, writes a columnist.