Presseurop

German GDP shrank by 0.5 per cent in the 2012 final quarter, the worst fall since the 2009 recession. “Germany is already paying the European crisis bill” says the daily, summarising the feeling in Spain, adding PM Mariano Rajoy’s reaction to the situation in an interview to the Financial Times in which he asks Germany to do more to stimulate growth in Europe.

Le Monde, Paris – Cartoon. See more.

NRC Handelsblad, Amsterdam – Austerity and free market regulations have created a band of loyal followers: The Precarious. And they are threatening the jewel European civilization, social security, argues Belgian writer Geert Van Istandael. See more.

„Very determined“ but „largely ineffective“: in the wake of the publication of a report commissioned by the socialist group in the European parliament in 2012 and coordinated by UK Tax Research Director Richard Murphy, El Mundo looks at the figures delivered by the EU drive to combat tax fraud and and close tax avoidance loopholes. According to the report, capital flight, the black economy and various corporate manouevres to avoid tax continue to cost EU countries €1trn in lost revenue every year. In the current context, reports El Mundo —

the drive to combat tax evasion has become a priority for the European Union, now that the crisis has drawn attention to diminishing state revenues.

In response to a European Council request for an “Action plan” submitted in March 2012, last month the Commission announced a series of recommendations, which as El Mundo points out are non-obligatory, for greater cooperation between the EU’s 27 member states. In the meantime, and in spite of the EU’s limited powers in the fight to combat tax fraud, some positive results have begun to emerge, concludes the daily —

The most significant success has been the signing of bilateral agreements on the exchange of tax information between the EU, Saint Marino, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland, which apply in all EU member states.[…] The sums recovered thanks to these agreements have increased 11-fold over the past seven years. Better still, starting on January 1, 2013, a new regulation has come into force to prevent countries from citing banking secrecy as a reason for refusing to comply with a request from a member state for tax information on one of its citizens.

Alternatives économiques , Paris – The latest figures are grim: unemployment has soared to record levels in the eurozone, with 11.8 per cent of the workforce unemployed. So far, however, European countries have been unable to harmonise their social policies in an effort to get out of the crisis. See more.

In reprisal to French military intervention against them, Malian jihadis have threatened “to attack the heart of France”. The French government has announced it will reinforce France’s „Vigipirate“ anti-terrorist security plan. Paris is also concerned about the fate of seven French hostages who are currently being held in the Sahel.