Erstellt am: 31. 5. 2013 - 14:38 Uhr

The point of a permanent Eurozone President

Reality Check: Eurozone President proposals, Syrian schools targeted, Obama ricin letter, CERN brings art and science together.

German prime chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande are pushing for a full-time leader to oversee the Eurozone.

At present the job is classified as "semi-permenent", which means a president is appointed for a period of two years - after which he may be re-appointed, or another candidate chosen. Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg was the first semi-permanent president, and ended up holding the office for 8 years, from 2005 to 2013.

In January this year, the position was taken over by Jeroen Dijsselbloem of The Netherlands, who has attracted considerable criticism, particularly for his handling of the crisis in Cyprus, and his plan to take citizens savings as part of a bail out deal. Maybe it's just as well he doesn't have the job permanently.

EPA/Julien Warnand

Current Eurozone President, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, came under heavy criticism for his handling of the Eurocrisis in Cyprus

However, when Juncker held the job for 8 years, that would seem to be about as permanent as any political position is likely to be - so what benefits do Merkel and Hollande see in creating a new, permanent presidency? Given that part of their proposal includes even more summits and meetings, streamlining is apparently not part of the plan.

ORF Brussels correspondant Raimund Löw discusses what the proposal says about relations within the Eurozone, and the advantages and disadvantages it presents.

• The threat to Syrian schools

A report from Human Rights Watch reveals how attacks on school students in Syria is putting the whole education system in danger. Riem Higazi reports.

• Ricin letter sent to Obama

Letters laced with the deadly poison ricin have been mailed to President Barack Obama and and New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg. These are the latest in a series of ricin letters sent to US officials, and they appear to be targetting anti-gun lobbyists. Pricilla Huff reports from Washington DC.

• Science or art?

FM4

Art is subjective, while science is objective - but an art program at the CERN is bringing the two together. Joanna Bostock reports on bridging the gap between these two disciplines.

FM4 Reality Check

Monday to Friday from 12.00 to 14.00, and after the show via Podcast or fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.