"Black-yellow-blue campaign for Belgium is a flop," headlines Le Soir, reporting on the Brussels 16 May march in support of national unity held that attracted only 2,000 people – a far cry from a similar demonstration in 2007, which brought 35,000 onto the streets. Although the slogans were tri-lingual, the vast majority of marchers were French. "The people are no longer inspired by Belgium," complains the daily, which notes that Belgian nationalism is "scorned in Flanders, where it has become an object of hatred for some. The Francophone community is powerless to counter the collapse of the state, which has now become the object of regret and nostalgia." For De Standaard, the issue of national unity is the least of Belgium's worries in the run-up to general elections on 13 June. "When you read election slogans, the crisis in Europe and its impact on Belgium is no more than a side-issue,"complains the Flemish daily, which claims that the country's politicians have learned nothing from recent economic upheavals. While Spain and Portugal have introduced further cuts, Belgium is set to increase its debt by 17 billion euros this year, the daily concludes.
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.