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After the first major demonstration against new austerity measures in the northern city of Thessaloniki on September 8, representatives of the EU-ECB-IMF troika met the leaders of Greece's tripartite coalition the next day in Athens. They asked them to clarify the measures planned to reduce public spending by €11.5 billion over the next two years.
Two troikas measure the measures – To Ethnos
Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France, has announced his intention to apply for Belgian citizenship. The Brussels daily reveals that Arnault has been living in the Brussels region since the end of 2011, before François Hollande came to power in France announcing a 75% tax for those earning more than €1 million euros per annum. The newspaper speculates that the move is "a step before landing in Monaco, forbidden to French fortunes.”
Mr. Arnault’s mysterious Belgian projects – La Libre Belgique
The French president has announced how his government will find 30 billion euros to bring its public deficit (4.5% of GDP in 2012) down to 3% in 2013. A €10 billion tax increase for households, €10 billion for businesses and €10 billion in savings on state expenditure. The growth forecast for 2013 was also revised, down from 1% 0.8%.
20 billion: Hollande presents his tax bill – Le Figaro
The closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics took place on September 9, bringing to an end the UK’s six week long Olympics summer. “Sunday night marked the end of a season of wonder that seemed to surprise the hosts as much as the guests, a period where we looked in the mirror and were met by an unexpected reflection – one we rather liked,” writes a chief columnist for the London daily.
Goodbye to Britain’s golden summer – The Guardian
On September 7, Portuguese PM Pedro Passos Coelho announced new austerity measures worth €2.5 billion. But it will not suffice to cover spiralling public expenditure, writes the daily. One of the key measures for 2013 will be a 7% increase in social security contributions for both the public and private sectors. This is expected to raise an additional €500 million.
2013 budget will mean even more austerity – Diário económico
Bucharest and the EU spent some two million euros to renovate a train station in Falciu, on Romania's eastern border with Moldova, in order to comply with Schengen standards. The only problem is that no international train has passed through the station for 2 years, since a modernized track goes through another station.
2,000,000 million buried in ghost station – Adevărul
“How long will PGNiG (Poland’s state-controlled oil and natural gas company) dictate gas prices?”, asks the Warsaw daily, adding that the national gas market is “one of the last monopoly strongholds”. Polish Petroleum and Gas Mining controls 99.8% of the gas market in Poland, 61% of which is provided by Russian imports. For three years, the European Commission has been urging the Polish government to open the gas market.
Free the gas market – Gazeta Wyborcza
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