The Netherlands' annual "Accountability Debate" held on the third Wednesday in May, in which the Prime Minister defends the economic and financial policies of the preceding year, will be marked by populist politician Geert Wilders, who, as the NRC Handelsblad headline announces, "has latched onto the [Greek] crisis." The leader of Party for Freedom (PVV), which supports Mark Rutte’s liberal-conservative government, insists that “Greece is a bottomless pit,” and is demanding an end to any plans for further loans to Athens. The Rotterdam daily reports that Rutte has described this attitude as “irresponsible,” arguing that “the bankruptcy of Greece would have enormous consequences and all risks should be avoided.” NRC notes that this is also the opinion of Dutch Central Bank President Nout Wellink. For its part, Amsterdam's De Volkskrant points out that political tensions have increased due to the impending 23 May senatorial elections. “If the coalition doesn't obtain a majority [in the Senate], then it won't have to cede, in the long run, to PVV's demands [i.e. because the Senate could block them].”
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.