22/12 – Today’s headlines from across the EU

EUROPEAN HEADLINES

FT Europe – M&A breaks records but dealmakers fear for 2016. $4.6tn total trumps 2007’s peak; concerns over bonds and terrorism.

WSJE – FIFA bans soccer chiefs. Blatter and Platini are barred eight years from any role in game over ethics violations.

INYT – The recruitment of an Islamic State killer. A Syrian rebel leader slowly succumbs to the corrupting effects of war.

BBC Europe – Migrant crisis: ‘One million enter Europe in 2015’. The number represents a fourfold rise on the total last year. The vast majority crossed by sea, with more than 800,000 travelling from Turkey to Greece. Most are refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

BALTIC STATES

Baltic Times – Vilnius Mayor accuses Russian ambassador of trolling. On December 19, Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Simasius received bottle of Putinka vodka from Russian Ambassador Alexander Udaltsov as a Christmas gift. Simasius shared the photo of the bottle on Instagram. He said he would not accept it. “The Russian ambassador has sent a Christmas gift,” said Simasius. “I really don’t want to exaggerate this incident but it’s obviously an attempt to joke or, using the modern term, “to troll.””

FRANCE

Le Monde – After the election, Spain is looking for an unprecedented coalition. The conservative Prime Minister Rajoy came in first in the legislative elections, but with only 28.7% of the votes against 44.6% in 2011.

Les Echos – How the French take advantage of low interest rates. A first evaluation for France of the ECB’s monetary policy. The State, businesses and households benefit most from interest rates’ cuts.

GERMANY

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) – Blatter and Platini want to defend themselves against FIFA sanctions.
FIFA Ethics Committee imposes eight-year ineligibility for €2 million payment.

Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) – Huge deficits in female quotas. Germany’s companies are to bring more women in governing bodies from 1 January but many companies are likely to miss the legal targets.

ITALY

La Repubblica – President Matarella raises the alarm: Banks, wrong has been done, now the truth is necessary. President says that consumers should be protected from abusive bank policy.

Il Sole 24 Ore – Mattarella: severe episodes, savings to be protected. Italian President Sergio Mattarella talked about the severe episodes that Italian banks have had to face recently. According to him, individual measures have to be taken to support the financial system.

POLAND

Gazette Wyborcza – Government may close mines. A group of Members of Parliament from the PiS party postulates in their draft bill to the Mining Act that shutting down the mines that generate the biggest losses and whose further functioning is neither economically nor geologically justified is necessary.

SPAIN

El Pais – Parties are taking their positions. PP to ask for support from PSOE and Ciudadanos for a steady government. PSOE will vote against Rajoy’s appointment and consider alternatives.

Expansion – Warning from companies. Foreign investors slow down projects in Spain and wait for the situation to get clearer. Businesses and markets concerned by political uncertainty.

The Times – SAS fight to stop Taliban in Helmand. The SAS and American special forces were fighting last night to take control of the town that came to symbolise Britain’s campaign in Afghanistan after it fell back into Taliban hands.

The Guardian – FIFA hands Blatter and Platini red cards. Eight-year ban from football for disgraced chiefs. Ethics panel makes ruling on £1.3m payment. Blatter vows return and Platini condemns verdict.