The German financial daily points out that the budget pact that the Chancellor has imposed on her European partners contains several elements that already exist in preceding European treaties. Also, it will take at least one year before it comes into full effect.
EU grants symbolic victory to Merkel – Financial Times Deutschland
Prague joins London in refusing to join the budget adopted by twenty-five EU member states.
Czech Republic and Britain alone against rest of Europe – Mladá Fronta DNES
According to a compromise reached at the January 30 European Council, there will be two kinds of euro summit - one reserved for eurozone states, concerning single currency strategy; and one open to all, which Poland has argued for, concerning the architecture of the euro and questions of competitivity.
European summits with and without Poland – Gazeta Wyborcza
European Commission president José Manuel Barroso has called on the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to come up with a definitive austerity budget.
EU urges Rajoy to accelerate reforms – El Periódico de Catalunya
The Austrian daily reports that the EU cannot afford further financial aid to Greece, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Nor can it fund youth employment, with 23 million jobless in the EU.
Recession: Europe has run out of money – Die Presse
"The new treaty on the euro is not perfect, but it's a step forward," writes the Amsterdam daily. "There are reasons to be prudently optimistic."
Euro in slightly calmer waters – De Volkskrant
Former Prime Minister Adrian Năstase has been sentenced to two years for embezzling funds to finance his 2004 presidential campaign. Political parties will have to keep clean accounts for the parliamentary elections of November, the Bucharest daily warns.
The “Năstase” precedent, a warning for party funding – Evenimentul zilei
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