In an article published by the daily, Jorge Trías Sagnier claims that the former treasurer of the conservative People’s Party, Luis Bárcenas, was responsible for a “B” set of parallel accounts. He acknowledges distributing secret bonuses to highly placed members of the party, currently led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, between 1993 and 2010, and further alleges that Bárcenas had access to a Swiss bank account with deposits of €22m.
At their next meeting, Europe’s finance ministers are expected to officially endorse the appointment of the Netherlands’ Jeroen Dijsselbloem to the Eurogroup presidency. The recapitalisation of banks by the European Stability Mechanism and the release of the next tranche of aid for Greece will also be on the agenda. However, there is no expectation of a decision on a bailout for Cyprus.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Green coalition, led by Stephan Weil, has won regional elections in Lower Saxony, obtaining one seat more than the outgoing coalition between the Christian-Democrat CDU and the liberals of the FDP. The result is another regional defeat for the parties of Angela Merkel’s coalition. However, with 9.9 per cent of the vote, the FDP will guarantee Merkel’s political survival until federal elections next September.
With five days left to run before the second round of presidential elections, the two candidates, Miloš Zeman and Karel Schwarzenberg, have both launched attacks. Zeman has lashed out at the “Prince” for his Austrian wife, claiming that he aims “to defend the interests of ethnic Germans”. In response, Schwarzenberg has accused outgoing President Václav Klaus, who has voiced his support for Zeman, of planning to re-establish the same power system that allowed corruption to spread across the country between 2000 and 2010.
Two web pages used by loyalist flag protesters on Facebook will be shut down. A judge ordered their closure after threatening comments were posted alongside images of a Catholic man living in the flashpoint Short Strand eastern district of the city, which has seen violent protests against the controversial decision to reduce the number of days the Union flag is flown over Belfast City Hall.
The government expects today’s eurozone finance minister meeting to ease the conditions of the Portuguese bailout, which will facilitate a gradual return to markets. In the best case scenario, relief could mean repayments would begin later, or approval of an extension to the payment deadline, the newspaper writes.
“With industrial production shrinking by 10.6 per cent in December and unemployment likely to reach 15 per cent, the beginning of the year brought news of a looming employment crisis,” leads the daily, highlighting that 2013 may be “more difficult for the Polish economy compared to other crisis years.”
One of the reasons is a ”dramatic” economic slowdown in Germany which is Poland’s main economic partner. Latest estimates put Germany’s GDP growth in 2013 at 0.4 per cent and not 1 per cent as previously predicted.
The Guardian, London – Cartoon. See more.
Lidové noviny , Prague – Košice this year shares with Marseille the title of European Capital of Culture (ECOC). An acronym that Slovaks shorten to "Ehmk" and which sounds more like a sigh than a top class cultural event, notes a Slovak music critic. See more.
La Tribune, Paris – A week after launching operations against the Islamists who are in control of the north of Mali, the French are still the only Western forces with boots on the ground. But the bloc, which has renounced a joint military capability, is there on other fronts – just more discreetly. See more.