15/12 – Today’s headlines from across the EU

EUROPEAN HEADLINES

FT Europe – Taxes ensure jihadis’ income as bombing seeks to cut off oil cash. Isis earns as much from levies, extortion and confiscation as Syria’s crude.

WSJE – Tactics on Syria diverge. Different strategies pursued by Russia, US make cooperation on the ground difficult.

INYT – French vote shows limits of support for far right. Le Pen’s intransigence and talk of conspiracies imperil her party’s future.

BBC Europe – Syria conflict: Kerry seeks to narrow divisions with Russia.He is now in talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and will later meet President Vladimir Putin. The US and Russia have long disagreed on what role Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should play in the process. Ahead of the talks, the Russian foreign ministry attacked US policy, accusing Washington of “dividing terrorists into good and bad ones”.

FRANCE

Le Monde – Republican pardon. The participation increase in the second round allowed locking out the FN, which nevertheless obtains many votes, with a record of 6.8 million.

Les Echos – Regional elections: Valls promises a jobs-focused policy response. Following October’s soaring unemployment, the government is working on new measures. The Socialist Party calls for a shift in the economic policy, ruled out by the government.

GERMANY

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) – Merkel: We can do it, because Germany is strong. Large support for refugee policy of the Chancellor at CDU party convention.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) = Merkel wins CDU support. Western ties, economic miracle and reunification: The Chancellor describes the reception of refugees as an historic task, and at the same time comes emotionally towards critical voices.

ITALY

Il Repubblica – “No trust in Boschi,” the Minister should go. The opposition, made up of MP’s from M5S, Lega Nord and Forza Italia, has declared that Maria Elena Boschi, Minister of Parliamentary relations, should resign. The Minister is swept up in the Italian bank scandal.

Il Sole 24 Ore – Oil prices below 35 dollars. European stock markets are in a downtrend as oil prices are decreasing.

POLAND

Gazette Wyborcza – There is no agreement to such democracy. TNS poll, carried out by Gazeta Wyborcza, shows that Poles do not want politicians to interpret law and Constitution on the name of the nation. Two-third of Poles see President Andrzej Duda as totally dependent on Jarosław Kaczyński.

SPAIN

El Pais – Sanchez blames Rajoy for corruption and inequalities. “You’re no decent person,” the PSOE leader said to the President. “This is false, mean, despicable and miserable,” the PP leader replied.

Expansion – Freefall in oil prices. Oil companies drop in the stock markets. The drop in oil prices may raise GBP by 1% and create 700,000 jobs.

The Times – Festive cheers at pumps as oil nears 11-year low. Experts predict more price cuts after petrol dips under £1 a litre.

The Guardian – MPs and City chiefs turn on Sports Direct. Retailer called “bad advert for British business.” Call for HMRC to investigate claims of low pay.