Pot luck

We look at media comment on the fight by EU countries to save jobs in Opel factories, as well as on Australia’s strong economy and Barack Obama’s decision to send 13,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

Time to act

The founding document of the European Union, the 1957 Treaty of Rome, promised “a system ensuring that competition in the common market is not distorted”, writes the Financial Times. The European Commission must therefore act to stop the current abuse of state aid taking place to save Opel jobs in EU countries.

... As many as six European countries may now be contributing to the Opel pot in order to preserve jobs in their own fiefs. … So the Commission must step in. It should make sure that the EU’s rules apply just as much to big countries as they do to small ones. These negotiations are about far more than competition in the continent’s car market. Under attack in this slide into protectionism is the pooled sovereignty over trade and competition, the core competences of the Union. ...

Lucky country

Australia is the only advanced nation to avoid a technical recession, and was recently the first in the G20 to raise interest rates. Although it has long been called the “lucky country”, it is not just luck that has made it successful, writes the Australian newspaper The Age.

... It is easy to point the finger at our natural gifts — a generous endowment of natural resources like coal and iron ore. A happy coincidence of geography, which placed us so close to the economic dragon of this century: China. ... But while we Australians pride ourselves on having a laid-back attitude to life, it is wrong to conclude we are simply the lucky country. ... Our strong economic performance is in large part the product of good old-fashioned hard work and reforms instituted by successive governments of both political stripes. ...

The real question

US President Barack Obama has authorized the deployment of 13,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, which is likely to cause a great deal of debate, writes The Times of India. In the process, however, a crucial aspect of the Afghanistan questions is being overlooked.

... Afghanistan is not entirely a US problem. There are countries that stand to suffer as much or more from any resurgence of the Taliban-al-Qaeda combine. India, for one, and Iran as well with the Sunni Taliban inimical to the Shia nation. Then there are China and Russia, both with fears about Muslim fundamentalists in their vulnerable regions. Lastly, of course, Pakistan has concerns. It is strange, given this, that there has been no comprehensive effort to bring together all the stakeholders to discuss a coordinated aid and reconstruction programme for the country. ...