Mladá Fronta DNES, Prague – In the mountains of Bohemia, near the Polish border, lies a small hospital – the only one of its kind in Europe: The Biological Defence Centre in Těchonín is designed to treat the poor unfortunates who contract the world's most dangerous viruses or fall victim to a biological terrorist attack. See more.
Trouw, Amsterdam – Cartoon. See more.
La Tribune, Paris – On January 1, the Dublin government took over the rotating presidency of the European Union. However, French daily La Tribune argues that economic crisis and a shift in the balance of power in the EU have turned this institution into an empty shell. See more.
“Forty years ago today a Union Jack was raised on top of the Brussels headquarters of what was then known as the European Economic Community,” begins Dominic Lawson in The Independent.
I may be missing something; but there do not seem to be any such celebrations, either in Brussels or Blighty, to mark the 40th anniversary of what must be accounted the most significant moment – at least symbolically – in post-war British history.” Contrasting Europe’s relationship with the UK to the EU’s relationship with Ireland – which joined the EEC at the same time and has now taken over the EU’s rotating national presidency, the conservative columnist concludes that most Britons are far removed from the mindset of those at the heart of the EU project. With pressure mounting on UK Prime Minister David Cameron to hold a clear “in-out” referendum on British membership of the EU, Lawson adds –
I know that many think there is actually something uncivilised in not being a member of the EU. But I have never felt, when in Switzerland, that I am far from civilisation; nor that Switzerland’s international image is somehow diminished by its lack of membership of this particular political club. Forty years on, it is high time to reassess the terms of our own partnership: as with some marriages, amicable separation might be preferable to fractious co-habitation.
Ireland, which took over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union on January 1, may have found a way out of the crisis thanks to off-shore petrol. The idea has taken hold in Dublin since a bout of „black gold fever in Cork“ notes Spanish daily La Vanguardia caused by the discovery of oil deposits in the Irish Sea. Ireland’s second largest city is now „awaiting an economic boom“ with the idea „fostering dreams“ in a country deeply hit by the crisis, the paper says, adding –
Representatives from ExxonMobil, Texaco and other major oil companies lunch in the city’s pubs and restaurants on the banks of the River Lee, just like, in Dublin, where the members of The Troika [Ireland’s creditors, the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank]. But in this case, the intention is to invest and not to dictate their lending conditions.
The deposit, called the Barryfoe Field, is estimated at 280 million barrels worth €30 billion. There is only one detail yet to be resolved – where to find the €1.5 billion needed to exploit the deposit. Gathering these funds is the goal of a company called Providence, created by the local tycoon and former rugby player Tony O’Reilly. He says he wants to make Cork „one of the most prosperous cities in Europe“. La Vanguardia says –
In the past, oil deposits were found in the Irish Sea, but their high exploitation costs made them unprofitable. The situation today is much more favourable because of the development of cheaper extraction techniques, the rise in the price of petrol and the low taxes on foreign firms investing in Ireland (the country has the lowest corporate tax rate in Europe, a constant source of friction with Brussels). Cork, the European headquarters for Apple and the site of US pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer’s Viagra factory hopes to move to the next level and join the major league economic and financial big hitters. It hopes to become to Ireland what Aberdeen has become to Scotland and that the petrol from the Irish Sea will provide the same benefits as that provided by the North Sea. With [global] oil use reaching 88 million barrels per day and with a thirst for it so insatiable that environmental considerations are unable to quench it, this is not just wishful thinking.
European Union | Irish-style cure
“Ireland takes over the EU Presidency. The country has made progress in overcoming the financial crisis,” writes the daily, which reports that Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has pledged that his country “will be working to bring about a recovery in Europe.” – Frankfurter Rundschau, Frankfurt | Original article in Frankfurter Rundschau
European Union | Red Cross: Europe to be world’s new hotspot
According to Red Cross Director-General, Yves Daccord, southern Europe will see protest and revolt on a scale similar to the Arab Spring in the Maghreb. The daily notes that the Greek branch of the Red Cross recently went bankrupt, while the latest collection by the charity in Spain was used to help Spanish citizens. – Politiken, Copenhagen | Original article in Politiken
Economy: What to expect in 2013
For the Belgian daily, 2013 “will likely be as difficult as 2012” notably in terms of the job market. According to forecasts from the National Bank of Belgium, unemployment will reach 8.1 per cent, compared to 7.4 per cent last year. – Le Soir, Brussels | Original article in Le Soir
2013: It will be fine
*Libération* adopts a more optimistic tone than the prophets of doom who predict that the bid for national and European economic recovery will make 2013 a year of pain. “What if 2013 turns out to be free of depression, and neither drab nor painful. What if hope overcomes universal despair?” – Libération, Paris | Original article in Libération
2013: A year of stabilisation
According to entrepreneurs consulted by the business daily, the Spanish economy will begin to recover, especially in the second half of 2013. The turnaround will be fuelled by increased economic competitiveness, easier exports, labour market reforms, controls on public spending and the stabilisation of the country’s financial system. – Cinco Días, Madrid | Original article in Cinco Días
Pre-heart attack state
Quoting economists’ predictions for 2013, *Rzeczpospolita* notes that unemployment in Poland may rise to 14.6 per cent (compared to 12.9 in November 2012), and GDP by only 1.5 per cent (2.1 per cent in 2012), while salaries will rise slowly, by not more than 3 per cent, or to 3,800 PLN (€934) per month on average, at the annual inflation rate estimated at 2.1 per cent. – Rzeczpospolita, Warsaw | Original article in Rzeczpospolita
Monti: cut taxes by one point
After formalising his bid for premiership at the helm of a coalition of “reformists of the radical centre”, incumbent Prime Minister Mario Monti entered the election campaign ahead of the February poll with the promise to ease the fiscal burden. But under his government tax pressure has so far risen from 44.7 per cent to 45.3 per cent. – La Repubblica, Rome | Original article in La Repubblica
Le Vif/L’Express, Brussels – Cartoon. See more.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Frankfurt – Three years of the euro crisis, 2013 is around the corner, and you still have some questions? So does essayist Hans Magnus Enzensberger. The outspoken critics of the Brussels bureaucracy has been inspired to draw up a quiz – with, of course, entirely objective questions. Have fun! See more.
Jyllands-Posten, Aarhus – Cartoon. See more.