Overview of the German printed press reports on the United King-dom and the Republic of Ireland

October 11-17, 2013

Handelsblatt: Merkel will ’place more emphasis on the survival of the EURO than on a continuous membership of the UK in the EU’. Merkel’s possible help for Cameron should not overstated, despite overlaps in regard to free trade and structural reforms to in-crease competitiveness. The best way to keep the EU interesting for Britain, the article con-cludes, would be a rapid conclusion of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This would show Britons the benefits of being part of a European bloc which can conclude such agreements on eye-level with giants such as the US.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) ran a report on Boris Johnson’s visit to China and the increasing desire of the UK to become a more important trade partner for Beijing.

The coverage on the domestic situation in the UK focused on the revelations of the Snow-don affair and the governments’ reaction to the leaks. The FAZ reported the increasingly negative coverage of Snowden himself, The Guardian as the platform for the information and the security threat these leaks pose to the UK.

Another issue was the likely introduction of a new voluntary and independent media regu-lation intended by all political parties against the fierce opposition of the united media. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung described the dreadlock despite the nearing decision at the end of October.

The FAZ described the envisaged immigration laws as an attempt to create a hostile envi-ronment for illegal immigrants, following a line no-tolerance and fast removal if immigrants commit crimes. The Süddeutsche Zeitung remarked that foremost Labour and civil rights groups have criticized stricter stances on migration. A report of the Tageszeitung described the continued British position on negating electoral rights to prisoners, which repeatedly led to contentions with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

New developments in the ’Plebgate ’ affair were discussed in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, as several police men allegedly lied in their testimonies about being insulted by Andrew Mich-tell.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on the assassination of two citizens in Northern Ire-land by radical catholic Republicans and that despite the progress made, Ulster remains a region in transition to a more peaceful and prosperous future.

The economic recovery in the Republic of Ireland and the decision to leave the financial credit mechanisms were closely followed. The Süddeutsche Zeitung remarked that despite a relative positive outlook, the crisis in Ireland cannot be deemed as over and many risks re-main.