By 2012, mums and dads will have the right to a minimum four months of (paid) parental leave instead of three at the moment, De Standaard reports. On 30th November, the Ministers for Social Affairs agreed on a directive that seeks to tackle the problem of the European Union’s ageing population. The Union is aiming to “allow working parents to better balance family and work” and thus encourage Europeans to have more children. The Brussels daily points out that this is an individual right but that one of the two parents can ‘transfer’ some of their leave to their partner. In a country like Belgium this could mean that people get an extra month’s leave, but other member states will have to take account of existing forms of parental leave and adapt their legislation.
The leader of Greece’s leftist alliance SYRIZA is the new bright hope of Greek politics. Steering a course between pragmatism and the rhetoric of class warfare, he has unsettled Berlin, and not just those who back Angela Merkel's austerity policies. 
Europe’s economic woes have forced us to try to understand the secret Olympian world of global finance. But now that we pay more attention to bond yields and stability mechanisms, isn’t it clear that the experts up on their lofty peaks don’t know what’s going on either? 
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Azerbaijan, a country that is far from being a model democracy. An Estonian journalist takes a critical look at the deferential treatment enjoyed by the regime in Baku.