In the wake of an agreement between Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan on the construction of a new pipeline to link Caspian Sea gas fields to Europe, România liberă announces: "Romania achieves its goal of becoming the EU's Black Sea energy terminal." The White Stream II pipeline project, which the daily describes as "an ideal solution for Europe," will have the capacity to "transport 20 billion cubic metres of gas to the European Union starting in 2012" – enough to put an end to "Europe's dependence on supplies from Russia." The cost of the project – between 2 and 4 billion euros – makes it "the most attractive option for the EU." Though it should be noted that it will be in direct competition with the considerably more expensive Nabucco pipeline – from Iran to Central Europe via Turkey – which has already been the subject of hard-fought negotiations within the EU. Another advantage of the project, remarks România liberă, "is the major positive impact it will have on Romania's geopolitical interests in the Black Sea."
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.