09/11 – Today’s headlines from across the EU

EUROPEAN HEADLINES

FT – Saudis vow to keep pumping oil despite domestic financial pain. Kingdom aims to protect global market share. Officials say stance will be vindicated.

WSJE – Hopes ebb in Brazil deluge. Break of mining dam in remote mountains brings challenge for rescuers, anger.

INYT – Egypt airport safety gaps are scrutinized. The airport is surrounded by a wall topped with barbed wire.

BBC – Croatia election: Opposition HDZ conservatives claim victory. Croatia’s conservative opposition has declared victory in parliamentary elections, but faces a challenge to form a government. Results show the centre-right coalition, led by the HDZ, won 59 seats while the ruling alliance, led by the Social Democrats, won 56. Both are well short of the 76 needed for a parliamentary majority.

BALTIC STATES

Baltic Times – Latvian Ambassador to U.S. – Russia reinforcing al-Assad’s regime in Syria. According to Latvia’s Ambassador to the United States, Andris Razans, the goal of Russia’s military activities in Syria is not to defeat the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, but to reinforce President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The ambassador also indicated that the U.S. is interested in a regime change in Syria because Assad is regarded as a serious cause of Syria’s problems. Razans added that various military activities in Syria can only benefit IS terrorists.

FRANCE

Le Monde – “Charlie Hebdo” Tracking the hidden supporters. Investigators show interest on mails proving the attacks were coordinated.

Les Echos – Labour reforms: the reforms that must inspire France. “Les Echos” unveil a broad report of the Employment Advisory Council. The reforms launched in France come later and are less extensive than elsewhere in Europe.

GERMANY

Frankfurter Allgemeone (FAZ) – De Maizière: Germany unable to absorb many more family members. Schäuble and Seehofer support the Federal Home Affairs Minister. Discontent in the SPD.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung – Seehofer fuels new asylum debate. The CSU Prime Minister calls upon Interior Minister de Maizière not to give every Syrian the refugee status. The SPD contradicts.

HUNGARY

Budapest Times – Fidesz gains support, Socialists at record low. Ruling Fidesz and its allied Christian Democrats were up in polling in the past three months while the opposition Socialists have never been so low, Tárki’s latest results from October show. Fidesz increased its support from 22 percent in July to 28 percent in October among the whole sample, Tárki said.

IRELAND

Irish Examiner – PM Enda Kenny says Ireland will back ‘reasonable’ EU reform demands by UK. In an address to business leaders in London, Mr Kenny catalogued a list of economic and political reasons the UK should stay in Europe and offered to look carefully and constructively at David Cameron’s proposals.

ITALY

La Repubblica – Matteo Salvini tells to Silvio Berlusconi: I am the leader now. The Democratic Party presents its plan for Rome and Milan. In a meeting of the Lega Nord and Forza Italia, the crowd boos Berlusconi and chants: “Matteo, Matteo”.

Il Sole 24 Ore – Youth and employment: bonus carries little appeal. With four million unemployed adding up to a 40% rate, Italian youth unemployment is twice the European average. The bonus system of incentives has done little to change this so far.

MALTA

The Times of Malta – Commission VP sure EU Energy Union can help Malta overcome its energy isolation. The Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, said today that he was ‘convinced’ that I am also convinced the EU’s plans for energy union could help Malta overcome its position as isolated energy island.
He made his comment after touring the site of the new gas power station in Delimara and calling on the prime minister at the Auberge de Castille.

NETHERLANDS

Trouw – Dutch worked within the Benelux to thwart EU tax discussions, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel. The magazine says Luxembourg and the Netherlands refused to reveal information about tax rulings for major corporations as far back as 2010, four years prior to the LuxLeaks scandal.

POLAND

Gazeta Wyborcza – The disgraced queen. French prosecutors assert that former head of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lamine Diack has accepted over €1 million bribe for covering Russian athletes on a dope. This presents IAAF as next to FIFA most corrupted sports institution.

SPAIN

El Pais – Convèrgencia would rather replace Mas than organize new election. The party maintains the regional president as a candidate in the investiture process but starts looking for alternative before CUP’s opposition.

Expansion – Gestamp takes on Abengoa. The company pays €350 million to take on 28% of Abengoa and the share of the Benjumea family drops from 56% to 20%.

The Times – Cameron gambling on EU referendum in June. David Cameron is ready to hold the EU referendum in June if other leaders agree to the bulk of his reform package at a summit next month, Whitehall officials have said.

The Guardian – UK is losing clout overseas warn top diplomats. PM issues demands over EU reform as report finds foreign policy ‘in crises’.