Die Presse, 2 July 2010
Headlining with "EU seeks sanctions for excessive salaries," Die Presse reports on Commissionner of Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn’s drive to rectify economic imbalances between northern countries – i.e. Germany – and southern countries of the eurozone. The daily notes that in some member states, "trade unions have succeeded in obtaining wage levels that are not justified by productivity." The Commission is now planning to issue recommendations to countries that fail to observe European standards for competitiveness. If they fail to heed these warnings, and continue to increase public sector salaries, they will be subject to financial sanctions that could include the freezing of agricultural subsidies and cohesion funds.
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.