‘Euro rescue, bill please!’

In the wake of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble’s remarks that Greece will probably need another bailout in 2014, Handelsblatt publishes a feature on “the bill” that Germans are being forced to pay to rescue the euro. Specifically, the newspaper wonders —

Is [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel’s policy saving the continent or is it simply causing it pain? What is the cost of saving the euro for the poor old German taxpayer? Is Germany over-reaching in its bid to save the single currency?

The business daily criticises Merkel, who has said she is “currently unable to announce an amount" to save the euro, and remarks that “maintaining calm on the euro front is clearly the Chancellor’s objective for the summer.” At the same time, Handelsblatt presents its own calculations. According to the daily, Germany will have to pay “€150bn, of which €42bn will have to be made available very soon.”