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"The European Commission has agreed to study an alternative model for calculating its public debt," reveals Público, speaking of the letter signed by nine member states (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden), requesting that the Commission take into account the cost of retirement system reforms in its budget. Current rules penalise countries that, at the request of the EU, reform their retirement plans, effectively preventing them from fulfilling the convergence criteria for joining the Eurozone. "This proposal surfaces just when financial markets have once again become concerned about the probability of a payment default by Ireland and other countries in the southern part of Europe," the daily notes.
The game has gone on for nearly two years: Athens pretends to comply with the demands of its creditors and partners, and they pretend to believe in Greece’s commitments. As the spectre of default comes nearer, however, the Greek bluff cannot go on much longer, writes an El Mundo editorialist. 
Asserting national values is central to the political project of the Hungarian PM. Since the start of the year, fifteen paintings, specially commissioned for an exhibition in the Castle of Buda, have been putting this ambition on show. 
Since Portugal has been subjected to an austerity regimen by the EU/ECB/IMF troika, Portuguese consumers have adapted their habits. The crisis is pushing consumers to save but also to be more creative.