Presseurop |

Humour | Even the gods can't get their heads around this crisis (The Times, London)

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:15:55 +0100

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? (Article)

Debate | Europe must choose

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:11:20 +0100

“What will become of the European Union?” wonders The Economist.

For the influential business weekly, the choice is simple, either a break-up of the euro, or a move towards closer European integration – even if only ”technocratic and limited”:

For two crisis-plagued years Europe’s leaders have run away from this choice. They say that they want to keep the euro intact – except, perhaps, for Greece. But northern European creditors, led by Germany, will not pay out enough to assure the euro’s survival, and southern European debtors increasingly resent foreigners telling them how to run their lives.

But if the EU’s leaders were to choose a euro break-up –

… banks and firms across the continent would topple because their domestic and foreign assets and liabilities would no longer match. A cascade of defaults and lawsuits would follow. Governments that run deficits would be forced to cut spending brutally or print cash.

This is one of the reasons for which, the august journal “reluctantly” concludes that “the nations in the euro zone must share their burdens.”

Saving the euro is desirable and it is doable. One question remains: will Germans, Austrians and the Dutch feel enough solidarity with Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese and Irish to pay up? We believe that to do so is in their own interests. The time has come for Europe’s leaders, and Mrs Merkel in particular, to make that case.

(News in brief)

EU summit | Growth - the new magic word (Trouw, Amsterdam)

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:05:40 +0100

In recent months, EU leaders from all spectrums have embraced the notion of "growth". But how can it be generated? Although a practical discussion on this issue has not yet really arisen, infrastructure projects could perhaps be part of a solution to the crisis. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Don't isolate the Germans (The Independent, London)

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:53:13 +0100

In helping to bail out struggling eurozone economies, Angela Merkel has already gone well beyond what her electorate wants. And the eurobonds France’s new president François Hollande is pushing for might just be a step too far. (Article)

Debate | Europe's new soft right is winning (Aftonbladet, Stockholm)

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:09:20 +0100

Triumphant a decade ago, today social democrats have been voted out office in most European countries — a change that is due to a lack of new proposals, but also and more importantly to the right’s appropriation of the language and ideas of social democracy. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Let's be more American! (Hospodářské noviny, Prague)

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:05:27 +0100

The Greek crisis and the lack of assertive action by European leaders has ended up clouding the greatest challenge to the future of the EU. The USA has the knack of finding effective solutions, and it is time to be inspired by the same spirit, argues a Czech columnist. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Listen to the cry of Athens (La Repubblica, Rome)

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:32:28 +0100

Instead of treating Greek officials as outcasts and their constituents like the plague, European leaders, and particularly Germans, would be better off listening. Because, in attempting to prioritise the needs of the economy over those of democracy, they are undermining the Union’s foundations. (Article)

Debate | The European grand coalition (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich)

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:08:07 +0100

Until now, ideological discussion has been off the menu in a Europe which lacked a genuine culture of debate. Now that we have a French President and a German Chancellor from opposing sides of the political divide, perhaps the EU can revive the interest of its citizens with public exchanges of views on important issues. (Article)

Debate | A petition of naivety

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:10:30 +0100

"Ask not what Europe can do for you, but what you can do for Europe" – this is the theme of a manifesto signed by a group of European intellectuals, with the German Jürgen Habermas at the front, which triggered a response from the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, branding the proposal "naive and not to be repeated".

At a time when "pensions and labour laws are violated and while demonstrations and riots spread from one member country to another" the only contribution that the manifesto proposes to rebuild the Union from the bottom up consists of "having the right to a sabbatical year of voluntary work in another EU country" quips the newspaper, which then asks:

Is the only response from these friends of Europe, when the Union is shuddering like the Titanic, that we must spend a little more time together so that we feel European?

And the newspaper concludes in the same tone: "It's probably no coincidence that this initiative is supported by the Allianz Group [a German insurance company] – one of Greece's main creditors."

(News in brief)

Eurozone crisis | The people have become a nuisance (Frankfurter Rundschau, Frankfurt)

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:19:46 +0100

A spectre is stalking the financial markets: what if the army of unemployed and poor no longer rubber-stamp the policies of the powerful? No wonder neither politicians nor business leaders want to risk too much democracy. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Schadenfreude, mon amour (El País, Madrid)

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:44:20 +0100

The financial crisis is at Spain’s doorstep, and all the other European countries can do is rejoice that this fate has not befallen them. This sentiment, so well expressed by the German word Schadenfreude, puts Europe itself at risk, warns a Spanish political scientist. (Article)

Economy | Greece is our vanguard (Hospodářské noviny, Prague)

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:00:04 +0100

The near-collapse of Greece is the scenario that awaits other countries if they fail to get their debt under control. The aid to Athens is a sign that the European Union is still alive, but without the discipline of the fiscal pact, it won’t be enough, says a Czech economist. (Article)

Netherlands | Something's gone wrong in Tulip Land (NRC Handelsblad, Rotterdam)

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:41:19 +0100

Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, has yet to distance himself from the anti-immigrant web site recently launched by the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) headed by Geert Wilders. This silence reveals the country's political divisions and a lack of vision on immigration issues, argues philosopher Paul Scheffer. (Article)

Debate | The Germans, workaholics no more (The Guardian, London)

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:14:49 +0100

Many countries, including Britain, look up to the Germans as a hard-working people. But such qualities belong to the distant past, points out a Guardian columnist. (Article)

Debate | The end of ideology (Polityka, Warsaw)

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:37:38 +0100

The current economic crisis casting doubts over our economic models and historical narratives may be the first not to create a myth of a new utopia around the corner. Although trust in politicians is fading, the good news is that we will get no new Lenins or Hitlers either – merely politicians without any grandeur at all, notes a Polish writer. (Article)

Fiscal Compact | Thatcher has won battle for Europe (Aftonbladet, Stockholm)

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:21:37 +0100

Intended to assure the euro will survive forever, the fiscal pact adopted in early March endorses the “authoritarian capitalism” promoted by the Iron Lady. The budget cuts it advocates, however, are being dictated not by democratically elected governments but by financial markets, writes a Swedish columnist. (Article)

Economy | Is Keynesianism now a thoughtcrime? (The Irish Times, Dublin)

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:23:44 +0100

Ireland will be the only country to put the EU fiscal compact to a popular vote. But what is really on the table, denounces columnist Fintan O’Toole, is that neo-liberal ideology is being raised to the status of unbreakable law. (Article)

Debate | Should politicians be tried for the crisis? (El País, Madrid)

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:47:56 +0100

The trial of Iceland’s former Prime Minister opened on March 5. Geir Haarde is accused of having being unable to cope with the financial crisis that swept over the country in 2008. Should we follow this example in other countries? El País asked several experts and journalists. (Article)

Fiction | Hitchhiker's Guide to the eurozone crisis (Cicero, Berlin)

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:47:51 +0100

What if the euro crisis were merely a devilish experiment set up by a gigantic computer disguised as Planet Earth? The Berlin cabaret artist Horst Evers runs though the euro crisis – but by the rules of Douglas Adams’ alternative universe. And he finds the human race isn’t quite up to their job. (Article)

European Council | There are alternatives to the fiscal compact (The Independent, London)

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:26:11 +0100

The new treaty signed by 25 member states in Brussels on March 2 is supposed to create a new era of fiscal responsibility and economic union, but it is half-baked and reinforces the EU’s undemocratic credentials, argues a British columnist. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Europe says goodbye to solidarity (Financial Times, London)

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:02:46 +0100

The solidarity that has always been at the heart of the European project is based upon hard-headed self interest. For the union to survive the current crisis, it needs to relearn this simple principle. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | How Brussels is destroying Greece (The Daily Telegraph, London)

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:17:39 +0100

Sunk into a violent depression, Greece is being bled dry by an “incompetent” EU and its “callous” Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn, accuses Peter Oborne, in a vehement broadside. (Article)

Debate | Europe will be saved by nations (Gazeta Wyborcza, Warsaw)

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:21:47 +0100

With their refusal to build a federal Europe around the single currency, politicians have surrendered power to the economy. To win back this power and to share it with citizens, a Polish historian argues that they should construct a federation of nations. (Article)

Debate | Lazy Greeks, a neo-liberal cliché (CriticAtac, Bucharest)

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:38:44 +0100

Poor and thus blameworthy: amid the ongoing Greek crisis, negative judgements on Southern Europeans appear to be gaining ground in Northern Europe. A Romanian columnist argues that such slurs form part of a simplistic and hypocritical analysis that prevents us from understanding what is really happening. (Article)

Germany | Call us Nazis if it makes you happy (Die Zeit, Hamburg)

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:35:28 +0100

“Hitler”, “Occupying Power" – it’s always the same. Berlin is asserting its stance on the euro crisis and, in turn, is being abused with comparisons to the Nazis. Die Zeit ponders how Germans should respond. (Article)

Debate | Ingo Schulze - 10 theses about the crisis (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich)

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:43:47 +0100

It is the madness that has become self-evident: for years, the public sphere has been plundered and democracy ruined. The German writer Ingo Schulze has had enough. Here he sets out ten reasons to take himself seriously again. (Article)

Debate | EU can no longer play the war card (De Morgen, Brussels)

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:44:19 +0100

European leaders have used the threat of war to justify policies undertaken to save the euro. But this argument no longer works, argues Dutch philosopher Paul Scheffer. The hearts and minds of Europeans must be won with valid arguments. (Article)

Scotland | "Devo max" - the formula that could save the UK (The Guardian, London)

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:40:22 +0100

While most Scots reject a complete break with the UK, they favour a form of autonomy which would include powers to raise their own taxes. The reluctant English should accept this, argue Simon Jenkins. (Article)

Nationality | Multiple citizenship, way of the future (The Economist, London)

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:48:39 +0100

In an increasingly globalized and racially mixed world, it's natural to have multiple identities. That's why states should loosen up naturalisation rights and grant the right to vote more easily, says The Economist. (Article)

Debate | Why I'm feeling strangely Austrian (Financial Times, London)

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:10:35 +0100

As the financial crisis continues to ravage the West, the dominant ideology of all triumphant free-market liberalism is collapsing. But what new political trends are emerging, and which will succeed? asks Gideon Rachman. (Article)

Interview | Geert Mak - Reconquering Europe (NRC Handelsblad, Rotterdam)

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:50:51 +0100

What’s in store for project Europe this year? A community under the supervision of a strong European Commission or a decentralised intergovernmental system, advocated by the Germans? Dutch historian Geert Mak has painted a bleak picture for the future of the European Union. (Article)

Bailouts | Against all the rules (Die Zeit, Hamburg)

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:36:54 +0100

He who makes mistakes must pay the price. Ever since the crisis erupted five years ago, this key law of the market economy has been trampled on. Politicians must now decide between prosperity and morality, writes Die Zeit. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Will the EU end up like Yugoslavia? (Politika, Belgrade)

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:20:11 +0100

Seen from Belgrade, Zagreb or Sarajevo, the economic and institutional crisis that has struck the European Union has a certain air of déjà-vu. Serbian daily Politika remarks on the similarities with the years preceding the break-up of the federation founded by Tito. (Article)

Interview | George Steiner, a certain idea of knowledge (Télérama, Paris)

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:00:34 +0100

Literature, philosophy, science: today, our tools for understanding the world are developing separately, regrets the renowned intellectual and humanist. However, culture remains a saving grace, particularly in Europe. (Article)

Interview | Andrzej Stasiuk's European lesson (Wprost, Warsaw)

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:00:14 +0100

Why do the Germans and the Poles have a hard time getting along? How does one recognise a Pole? Is there a way to help Germany better "dominate" the EU? A hard to pigeon-hole Polish writer provides some leads. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Iceland is our modern Utopia (Público, Madrid)

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:18:07 +0100

In rejecting by referendum a bailout for their toxic banks and the repayment of external debt, the citzens of Iceland have shown it is possible to escape the laws of capitalism and take control of one's destiny, writes a Spanish historian. (Article)

Debate | Don't let the European ideal die (El País, Madrid)

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:51:11 +0100

The integration of Europe has allowed the Old World to prosper, but the journey has cost it some of its soul, regrets the Spanish philosopher Rafael Argullol. It's not too late to affirm the values that make Europe strong – but it has to be done quickly. (Article)

Debate | Europe's seven deadly sins (2/2) (Die Zeit, Hamburg)

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:11:50 +0100

The politicians of Europe love to flourish the flag of Community togetherness. But in their day-to-day politicking they give the lie to their supposed virtues. The second part of Die Zeit's list of national egotisms that are harming the Community. (Article)

Debate | Europe's seven deadly sins (1/2) (Die Zeit, Hamburg)

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:50:42 +0100

The politicians of Europe love to flourish the flag of Community togetherness. But in their day-to-day politicking they give the lie to their supposed virtues. Die Zeit has compiled a cheat-sheet of national egotisms that are harming the Community. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Farewell sweet sovereignty... (El País, Madrid)

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:50:36 +0100

If approved by the Twenty-Seven, the fiscal union proposed by Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy would be a decisive new stage on the path to European federalism. But are all willing to pay the price: the surrender of the budgetary autonomy of states? (Article)

Profile | Jürgen Habermas, the last European (Der Spiegel, Hamburg)

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:31:20 +0100

Jürgen Habermas has had enough. The philosopher is doing all he can these days to call attention to what he sees as the demise of the European ideal. He hopes he can help save it -- from inept politicians and the dark forces of the market. (Article)

European Union | Give democracy a chance (The Guardian, London)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:09:26 +0100

Is the EU turning into an empire ruled by Germany? For German sociologist Ulrich Beck, we should take advantage of this widespread and much discussed fear to establish a new organisation for the Union, based on a real community of citizens. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | Panic - hottest all-time business model (Berliner Zeitung, Berlin)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:03:33 +0100

Fear, alarm, apocalypse: moods rather than facts steer mankind, writes futurologist Matthias Horx. This holds true for the eurozone crisis as well. (Article)

Extremism | The internationalism of the new far-right (Aftonbladet, Stockholm)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:19:39 +0100

A new Europe threatens to emerge in the shadow of the crisis: a continent dominated by despondency and a defiance of politics that that has paved the way for a resurgence of nationalism and Islamophobia. These are much more serious dangers than national debt figures, writes Aftonbladet. (Article)

Debate | Crisis tears us apart (The Irish Times, Dublin)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:05:33 +0100

Debt and austerity are the new reality for most Europeans. But for some, such a situation is an opportunity to turn a fast profit. In such a context, how can we still talk of nations and society? asks Irish columnist John Waters. (Article)

Who’s afraid of Germany? (5) | Europe - an awfully wonderful family (Die Zeit, Hamburg)

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:21:48 +0100

A family with strict parents, black sheep and tough love: that’s today’s Europe, says an editor at Die Zeit, who sends out a call to defend the historically unprecedented culture of solidarity. (Article)

Who’s afraid of Germany? (3) | Goethe, in technocrat's clothing (Der Spiegel, Hamburg)

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:53:43 +0100

What Germany’s leadership of the EU means isn’t very clear – least of all to the Germans themselves. A Spiegel columnist looks for the answer in two books, wandering between the lost soul and the genius of the country. (Article)

European Union | A revolution from above (Libération, Paris)

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:19:31 +0100

Political changes in Greece, Italy and Spain have highlighted how European leaders have upset the balance of power between society and the state and politics and the economy. French philospher Etienne Balibar points out that these developments have overlooked the role of citizens. (Article)

Who’s afraid of Germany? (2) | Europe sprechs German now (Berliner Zeitung, Berlin)

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:04:17 +0100

“Europe is speaking German,” trumpeted CDU deputy Volker Kauder. Just let’s not overdo it, warns the Berliner Zeitung. An association of free democracies should look a bit different. (Article)

Eurozone crisis | What have the Dutch ever done for us? (De Volkskrant, Amsterdam)

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:40:10 +0100

In the current crisis, the Dutch tend to pontificate about the citizens of ill performing countries like Greece and Italy. But as recession now looms, they should keep in mind that their prosperity isn’t just due to their own virtuousness. (Article)