European press review

Monday's European papers consider the outcome of the Swiss parliamentary election, the Danish premier's stance on the European Union, the German pension reform and French tobacconists' strike in protest against a rise in the price of cigarettes.

Swiss election surprise

Switzerland's Tages-Anzeiger says the Swiss People's Party, or SVP, scored a "historic election victory" on Sunday as it appeared that the party made unexpected gains which set it on course to become the largest of the four ruling coalition parties.

The paper suggests that the party, which won over 27% of the vote, should now be given a second seat in the seven-member cabinet - a move almost certain to upset the ruling coalition.

It argues that the representation of all major political forces in a "consensus government" has been one of Switzerland's strengths.

Blocher is a man for people who feel insecure Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau

"Consensus presupposes the will to compromise and the ability to find joint solutions," it says.

But other European papers are less impressed by the outcome.

Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau plays down the extent of gains made by the SVP.

According to the paper, there had been expectations that the party's controversial leader, Christoph Blocher, might achieve even better results.

The paper identifies tax cuts, the slogan "Switzerland for the Swiss" and radical euroscepticism as key planks of his policies.

"Blocher is a man for people who feel insecure," it says.

Belgium's Le Soir describes the party as "right-wing", "populist" and "xenophobic".

"The SVP campaigned on a nationalist and populist programme: no to Europe, tax cuts and measures to fight immigration, making a link between foreigners and crime," the paper says.

The Swiss elections also make front-page headlines in several Spanish dailies.

"A party of the extreme right, with a xenophobic programme, wins the elections in Switzerland" says a headline in Madrid's ABC, while both La Razon and El Pais describe the party as "extreme and xenophobic".

Danish Euro praise

Meanwhile, in Denmark, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen wins praise for his performance at the EU summit on Friday Copenhagen's Information, which admits that it "doesn't often praise" the government.

"Praise to Anders Fogh Rasmussen for leading the re-establishment of representative democracy in EU policy," the paper says.

"It was both right and brave of the prime minister when he said during the EU summit on Friday that the way forward in EU policy is not in the perpetual referendums on which Danish politicians have conveniently dumped Danish political responsibility for the EU since 1986.

"Instead the government, backed by a parliamentary majority, must win back political authority on European policy and lay out what the Danish course in the EU will look like. After that it is up to the people to choose the politicians."

German pension reform

In Germany, papers are preoccupied with the government's package of economic reforms.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung says there was little the government could do to prevent pensioners from losing out under a reform plan.

(The plan) is an emergency operation but not coherent therapy Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

"No increase in pensions next year, more money for nursing insurance - that will cause a lot of discontent," the paper predicts.

But the daily adds that the decision of the governing coalition of Greens and Social Democrats not to increase contributions is a good news for employees and employers.

"Anything else would have been disastrous for Red-Green," it says, adding that an increase in contributions would have undermined the chancellor's promise of lower labour costs.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung describes the plan as "an emergency operation but not coherent therapy".

It, too, agrees that the governing coalition was right not to put up pensions contributions.

"Red-Green has at least signalled a willingness to break the vicious circle of increasing contributions and growing unemployment," it says.

But it cautions that the reform plan has destroyed trust in the government's pensions policy.

French smoke-free day

As the French government prepares to impose an increase of up to 20% on the price of cigarettes on Monday, Paris's Liberation assesses the prospects of the war on cigarettes.

Tobacconists are poised to counter the decision with a nationwide strike.

The government is torn between its laudable desire to fight the expensive disease of tobacco addiction and the political fallout of its public health effort France's Liberation

"The government is torn between its laudable desire to fight the expensive disease of tobacco addiction and the political fallout of its public health effort," the paper notes.

French people's growing awareness of the damage smoking causes has put the government in a difficult position, it says.

"It does not hesitate to fill its coffers with the taxes it imposes on this poison, while saying it wants to fill the holes it creates in its health budget and its citizens' lungs," it adds.

But a ban would be doomed to failure, the paper goes on.

"All smokers must remain free to poison themselves, provided their freedom does not encroach on that of non-smokers to breathe," it says.

The paper concludes that the only remedy is to hit the smokers where it hurts: in the pocket.

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.