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French press review 9 February 2016

No surprises in today's French press. Le Figaro says French people are paying too much taxes, Le Monde takes a look at the American primaries while Libération worries about the fate of the European Union. Meanwhile L'Humanité headline on its love story with... Bernie Sanders.

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Libération devotes its cover to Europe and a risk of authoritarianism. "The authoritarian temptation that threatens the foundations of the European project has started to worry Brussels" writes the paper.

Libé worries over the different crisis facing the European Union: there's the migrants, of course, but also Ukraine, the euro, Greece and the rise of populism. "It is as if citizens, stressed by this series of shocks, thought that nationalist and authoritarian solutions could solve the complex equation that Europe faces" it writes

It writes that the EU project is now in shambles and that nothing is being done to change that. "What are we waiting for?" asks an editorial.

"There's an original fault of the European construction and it will have to be repaired very quickly before the Union disintegrates. It's the continent's peace that's at stake" it concludes.

Communist daily L'Humanité's front page is all about Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. "The crazy dream of the American youth" reads the paper's headline.

The daily reports from New Hampshire, just days ahead of the next vote of the primaries, where Bernie Sanders is tipped to be the winner.

L'Huma's editorial thinks Sanders is an anomaly in a country where "half of the people don't vote, strike is considered a swear word, and calling yourself a socialist is worse than saying you're a satanist".

Even if L'Huma is not betting on a victory from Bernie Sanders, its editorial says it gives us a look at a forgotten youth which had to pay tremendous amounts of money for college.

"This youth was born and grew up with Obama and appeared in the public sphere with Occupy Wall Street" it says.

The paper links Sanders rise to Labour chief Jeremy Corbin and his win in the UK."His project is still better than fear, hatred and war" it concludes.

Le Monde is aslo talking about the American primaries but this time about the other democratic candidate: Hilary Clinton.

The daily says Clinton's strategy in New Hampshire is to get the women electorate to vote for her. "Hillary Clinton seeks to create excitement by rallying female voters around her candidacy, in the image of what Barack Obama managed to do by mobilizing minorities and liberal voters in 2008" explains Le Monde.

But the candidate has trouble persuading women to rally behind her cause. Why you may ask? Well the center-left paper thinks it might have to do with systemic sexism.

"No woman has ever been elected president, only 12% of State governors are women and 18% mayors" reminds the daily.

Today's Le Figaro focuses on taxes and why France is paying too many of them.

"Overtaxation in France of unearned income and savings impedes investment and contributes to rising unemployment" says Le Figaro.

This is all very technical but here are a few numbers: we are talking about rich households here, earning more than 80 000 euros a year and owning about one billion euros worth of properties.

According to the paper's numbers, a household getting 150 euros of interests on its savings will see 135 euros taken by the state, while in Germany the state will only tax 10 euros. And that's a shame according to Le Figaro.

"While talents and fortunes are going into exile, investments in the French economy are evaporating" says an editorial.

Because of the amount of taxes in France, "the country is getting rid of the fuel needed for its recovery. Which politician will dare to finally stop this economic suicide?" asks the right-wing daily.
 

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