Zidane for President
Pondering the low turnout in the European elections, Gareth Harding in the WSJ Europe argues that if the EU has managed to create institutions it has failed to create “an electorate or demos”. A disconnect exists between Brussels “and the vast majority of Europeans who view politics through a national prism.”
Low-cost airlines, however, mean Europeans “are criss-crossing the continent like never before.” Continental integration, he argues, owes as much to Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary as to the EU founding fathers. Further evidence that a “people's Europe is slowly emerging” can be seen in the success of the Champions League. “If sport can become Europeanized,” he concludes, “there is no reason why politics cannot be. All we need now is the political equivalent of a Zinedine Zidane”.
Two camps, two theories, and two visions of France: 18 years after the massacre of 800,000 Tutsis, the precise role played by Paris is still the subject of heated debate, fueled by the findings of successive criminal investigations. 
Agree to new austerity measures or risk being kicked out of the eurozone: that’s the alternative presented to Athens on the day the euro group is meeting. It’s a situation Greek politicians have failed to avoid, regrets To Vima. 
At a time when Athens is still involved in debt restructuring negotiations with its private creditors, Neelie Kroes’ recent allusions to a Greek exit from the euro are a sign that European leaders are intent on preparing the terrain for such an eventuality.