Crime
The Mafia among us
20 August 2010
Presseurop
L'Express 
L'Express, 20 August 2010
“How we have been invaded by the Mafia,” headlines l’Express, which reports on “a European economy tainted” by Italian organised crime. According to Francesco Forgione, a former chairman of the Italian parliament’s anti-Mafia commission, and the author of Mafia Export, Europe has turned “a blind eye to the presence of the Mafia. Its invasion began in the 1950s when agreements to facilitate post-war reconstruction encouraged Italian immigration to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.” With an extensive Mafia presence, Germany is thought to be the worst affected country, followed by Spain, the Netherlands and France.
The game has gone on for nearly two years: Athens pretends to comply with the demands of its creditors and partners, and they pretend to believe in Greece’s commitments. As the spectre of default comes nearer, however, the Greek bluff cannot go on much longer, writes an El Mundo editorialist. 
Asserting national values is central to the political project of the Hungarian PM. Since the start of the year, fifteen paintings, specially commissioned for an exhibition in the Castle of Buda, have been putting this ambition on show. 
Since Portugal has been subjected to an austerity regimen by the EU/ECB/IMF troika, Portuguese consumers have adapted their habits. The crisis is pushing consumers to save but also to be more creative.