14/12 – Today’s headlines from across the EU

EUROPEAN HEADLINES

FT Europe – Obstacles to climate deal as business plays down impact. World leaders praise breakthrough; US Republicans highlight opposition.

WSJE – Le Pen is shut out in vote. France’s centre right wins in several regions as parties try to block far-right National Front.

INYT – Climate pact gives a step, if not a cure. Agreement recognises its own shortcomings, but also the potential.

BBC Europe – French National Front defeated in bid to win regional vote.The party was beaten into third place, despite leading in six of 13 regions in the first round of voting a week ago. The centre-right Republicans finished ahead of President Francois Hollande’s governing Socialist Party. FN leader Marine Le Pen said that mainstream parties had colluded to keep it from power and vowed to keep on fighting.

FRANCE

Le Monde – Regional elections: the motivations for a never-seen before second round. The participation rate and the transfers of the votes from the left should be two of the keys of a particularly undecided ballot on Sunday 13 December.

Les Echos – High turnout thwarts FN. Marine Le Pen’s party does not win any region in the second round of the regional elections. The Right wins seven regions, including Ile-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

GERMANY

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) – Front National fails in regional elections in France. Le Pen speaks of “manipulation of voters”, while Sarkozy take the results as “a warning”. Higher voter turnout.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) – The world wants climate change. The Agreement sealed in Paris is considered historic, because it would limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Emerging countries must reduce their exhaust emissions for the first time.

ITALY

La Repubblica – France stops the Le Pen wave. With almost 60% of participation, the second turn of the French regional elections permitted to reverse the trend, as the Front national did not win any region.

Il Sole 24 Ore – Consumption, employment, investments: the southern emergency – The GDP of the southern area of Italy continues to fall, it is now below pre-crisis levels. The divide continues to enlarge with the North and now also with the centre.

POLAND

Gazeta Wyborcza – March for democracy versus march against dictatorship. There were two marches this weekend in Warsaw. On Saturday Polish citizens gathered to walk for democracy and on Sunday PiS party gathered its supporters to show disdain to people of other believes. PiS and its leader Kaczyński consider themselves to be a “better quality” people.

SPAIN

El País – The PP ahead in the polls for the last week of campaign. The PSOE maintains its second position, followed by Podemos that keeps on rising, and Ciudadanos, which experiences it biggest drop.

Expansion – Family war at Abengoa. Members of the owner families are considering legal measures against former president Felipe Benjumea.

The Times – French voters reject far right. Mainstream parties unite to thwart Marine Le Pen.

The Guardian – Le Pen lashes out as French far-right faces defeat in poll. Front National fails in all regions, early results show. Tactical voting and high turnout keep party out. Socialist PM warns threat has not been defeated.