EUROPEAN HEADLINES

FT Europe – Cameron aims to offer Britons in-out referendum on EU this summer. Premier confident of February deal. Surveys cast doubt on business hostility to exit.

WSJE – Assaults put Merkel to the test. New Year allegations harm bid to craft EU migrant-crisis strategy.

INYT – Syrians starving in rebel-controlled area. In the hills near the Lebanese border, an hour’s drive from downtown Damascus, much of a Syrian town is starving, according to residents and international humanitarian workers.

BBC Europe – Cologne attacks: New Year’s Eve crime cases top 500.Police in Cologne investigating the crimes are focussing on people of North African origin, they say. On Sunday evening six Pakistanis and a Syrian man came under attack in the centre of the western German city.

FRANCE

Le Monde – How far can Christiane Taubira go? The Justice Minister is opposed to the striping of citizenship for holders of dual nationality, but she will have to defend it in the Parliament.

Les Echos – Employment: Hollande and Valls take a gamble. The training process for 500,000 additional unemployed is subject to debate. French managers and unions will formulate their proposals this Monday in Matignon.

GERMANY

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) –  Coalition threatens violent offenders with harsh consequences. Faster deportation of criminal aliens. Strengthening of law against sexual offenses.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) – Poland rejects German criticism. The new Conservative government reacted angrily to “anti-Polish statements.” EU Parliament President Schulz accuses Warsaw of “managed democracy à la Putin.”

ITALY

La Repubblica – Cologne, planned attack “to harass white women.” The German government has confirmed that there was some form of planning in the execution of New Year’s Eve attacks. 12 cities and a club were targeted.

Il Sole 24 Ore – Mayors: confidence is still growing. According to a Ipr Marketing – Il Sole 24 Ore opinion poll, the consensus on Italian mayors is growing thanks to their good results in 2015.

POLAND

Gazeta Wyborcza –  The Orchestra has won. In its yearly fund-raising finale organised yesterday, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) raised over PLN 42 million for equipping hospitals’ new-borns and elderly wards, according to rough estimations. Its leader Jerzy Owsiak thanked people for this solidarity as for the first time in 24 years; WOŚP was sharply criticized by politicians of the ruling party.

SPAIN

El País – Puigdemon: “My government program is the same as Mas.” 62 Junts pel Si MPs and 8 CUP MPs supports his investiture. The “President” maintains the 18-months period to declare independency. Rajoy recalls that the same project has been rejected by the Constitutional Court in the past.

Expansión – Secessionist drift. Key week for Spain’s governability.

UK

The Times – Redundant NHS staff rehired in £92m farce. Anger at “eye-watering” payoffs for executives.

The Guardian – Labour fears £6m funding crisis. Internal memo reveals stark dangers of “partisan” Tory move to cut union income.

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