Forget Turks – integrate the wealthy
While the "Sarrazin debate" concerning the lack of integration on the part of Muslim immigrants into mainstream German society continues, Der Freitag takes the opposite tack, proposing the integration of... the upper middle class! According to the Berlin daily, German society has failed to integrate the richest ten percent of its population, who have no recourse but to remain segregated in beautiful neighbourhoods where homes are often equipped with swimming pools and typically have living rooms of only 65 square meters. Their children sadly grow up without any connection to social reality, observes Der Freitag, for whom this privileged minority are those who "truly object to integration". The paper insists that – just like their Muslim-minority counterparts, "These highly-paid individuals must take the first step".
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.
The European Commission and its civil servants gained unprecedented powers with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty on February 7 1992. Two decades later, the economy’s primacy over politics and the advent of the crisis has destroyed their dreams and turned them into scapegoats.
“Hitler”, “Occupying Power" – it’s always the same. Berlin is asserting its stance on the euro crisis and, in turn, is being abused with comparisons to the Nazis. Die Zeit ponders how Germans should respond.