French press review 12 March 2015

The euro, Greek debt, sub-contracting work, Berlusconi and French education are all in the papers today.

Right-wing Le Figaro wonders how far the euro can fall against the dollar.

Yesterday, as the European Central Bank started its latest shoot-yourself-in-the-other-foot policy of buying back debt from Greeks and other geezers to whom no straight-thinking banker would even open the door, surprise, surprise, the euro collapsed to its lowest level since 2003. Analysts are talking about parity between the two currencies in the not too distant future. One euro is currently worth one dollar and five cents. In the heady days of April, 2008, your euro would have bought you one dollar and sixty cents.

The only good news is that investors, fleeing the volatile currency markets, have been putting their hard-earned in the stock market. The combined values of the top forty companies quoted on the Paris exchange yesterday soared past the 5,000-point mark.

Speaking of Greeks, the main story in communist L'Humanité says they've been the victims of a big stitch-up, and don't owe half the money Europe says they do.

Basing their claim on an audit organised by a French collective, the communist paper says that more than half the Greek debt is due to the excessive interest rates charged between 1988 and 2000, along with various tax breaks accorded by previous governments. The collective finds that 56 per cent of the Greek debt is illegitimate.

Libération gives pride of place to a proposed law which would oblige French companies making use of foreign sub-contractors to ensure that those sub-contractors treat their workers correctly. The left-wing paper says the proposal is a step in the right direction, but does not go far enough.

Sub-contracting work to areas where labour law and conditions are less than ideal generates 142 billion euros in profits every year on a global scale. One little law urging French companies to be more vigilant is not going to reduce the force of that figure.

There are, by conservative estimates, some 21 million victims of forced labour in the world, more than half of them in Asia.

Libération would like to see Brussels take up the cause of unfairly exploited overseas workers, and not leave the task to individual governments. Even more optimistically, the International Labour Organisation wants the onus put on the consumer, who should read the label showing where goods were produced, and act accordingly.

Silvio Berlusconi is back in the news. Yesterday, we reported his acquittal on charges of paying for under-age sex. Now the question is can the former prime minister claw back his political power and return to the top?

On Wednesday, Italy’s top court quashed once and for all accusations that Berlusconi paid for sex with a starlet nicknamed "Ruby the Heart Stealer" at his "bunga bunga" sex parties, according to Libération.

When Ruby was done for shoplifting in 2010, Silvio rang the Milan police authorities to warn them not to press charges. "She's the niece of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak," he told them. Yesterday's decision let him off the hook for that apparent abuse of his position as prime minister.

"Today is a beautiful day for politics, justice and the rule of law," Berlusconi said, adding: "I'm back in the field, to build … an Italy that is better, freer and fairer." He's probably going to celebrate with the mother (and daughter) of all bunga-bunga bashes, but that's another story.

Some commentators say the billionaire media magnate will now start gearing up for general elections expected to be held in 2018, others cast doubt on his chances of resuming a heavyweight role in Italian politics.

Berlusconi still faces accusations of bribing a senator for political gain, and of paying witnesses to testify on his behalf in the Ruby case.

Le Monde looks at the future of French secondary education, in the light of reforms proposed by the minister, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem. She wants to protect the idea of the same school for everyone, but doesn't think uniform education is a good idea. All schools are equal, in other words, but some are less equal than others.

The minister wants to offer more pedagogic freedom to counter a situation where students are bored, parents helpless and teachers desperate. She thinks smaller work groups and interdisciplinary activities will do the trick. She has a lot to learn.