SME, 28 June 2010
Only one signature is still missing to get the euro stabilisation mechanism up and running by the end of June. But Slovakia is dithering – and sorely trying Brussels and its partners’ patience. While incumbent prime minister Robert Fico, who was beaten in the 19 June elections, does not believe he has a mandate to sign off on the package, his likely successor Iveta Radičová hopes parliament will sound off on the matter, as she negotiates the contribution terms with Brussels, reports SME. Slovakia's contribution to the fund, notes the paper, comes to €4.5 billion.
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.