The paper clip, 23 November

Traian Basescu emerged as the victor in the first round of Romania's presidential elections. Basescu beat his closest challenger, Mircea Geoana, by about two percentage points, with the final tally still uncertain. Romanians will vote in a second round on 6 December. Le Monde, Die Presse and Lidové noviny have reports.

The powers of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski may be curtailed under constitutional reforms proposed on Saturday by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “The president should not have veto power,” Tusk said. “We are proposing changes to the constitution so that the centre of power lies with the government...The presidential veto brings more harm than good.” Gazeta Wyborcza leads with the story.

Le Soir reports that Herman van Rompuy, Belgium's prime minister and future president of the European Council, twice turned down the offer to become Council president. Van Rompuy was appointed unanimously by the leaders of the 27 EU national governments on 19 November. He will take up the post on 1 January.

MEPs are unhappy that Catherine Ashton, the EU's future foreign policy chief, is to take up her new position on 1 December without a parliamentary hearing, writes Der Standard. José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, plans to install her not just as foreign policy chief but also as a vice-president of the Commission on that date, although parliamentary hearings for the next Commission are only to take place in January.

Die Welt reports that US politicians have reacted with surprise at the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy as president of the European Council and Catherine Ashton as high representative for foreign policy. The article quotes an unnamed US official asking: "Who the hell is that?" on hearing the two names.

Denmark's B.T. writes that Connie Hedegaard, Denmark's climate and energy minister, will be nominated as the country's European commissioner at a government meeting tomorrow. The paper writes that the decision is likely to upset many members of Løkke Rasmussen's Liberal party, the senior coalition partner, as they have been hoping he would nominate Bertil Haarder, the education minister, in a bid to get the post of research commissioner. Another paper, Berlingske Tidende, writes that Løkke Rasmussen has been under pressure from European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who wants Hedegaard as commissioner for climate change and more women in the college of commissioners, and Lene Espersen, the leader of the Conservative party, who also wants her party colleague placed in Brussels.

Handelsblatt reports on the wrangling over heavyweight portfolios in the European Commission now that the posts of president of the European Council and high representative for foreign policy have been chosen. The article says that France wants its candidate, Michel Barnier, to get the internal market portfolio including financial services, while Barroso wants to split off financial services as a separate portfolio. The article also says that Germany wants the post of energy commissioner including climate change for its candidate, Günther Oettinger. Barroso wants a separate commissioner in charge climate action.  

The Times of London reports that thousands of people in northwest England have been warned that their towns and villages could be cut off for months after more than a dozen bridges were swept away or damaged by flood waters. The town of Workington in Cumbria was cut in half yesterday when police closed the town's remaining road bridge amid fears that it would collapse following the heaviest rainfall on record. The bad weather claimed a second victim yesterday when a canoeist died after being trapped under a fallen tree in the southwest county of Devon. The Guardian has that story. 

Le Monde reports that the French financial markets regulator will report before the end of the year on whether current and former executives at defence contractor EADS are guilty of insider trading. If found guilty, the executives could be fined up to ten times the profit they made from the trades. EADS is the parent company of European airlines manufacturer Airbus. The financial markets authority will begin holding hearings with the suspects today. Executives at Daimler and Lagardère, EADS' two main shareholders, are also being investigated. There are 17 suspects in total. Le Figaro also has a report.

Mirek Topolánek, the former Czech prime minister and chairman of the European Council, will remain the leader of the Civic Democrats (ODS), after a putative rebellion fizzled out at a party congress. Lidové noviny reports.

Le Figaro reports that Martine Aubry, leader of the French Socialist party, has called for a “large-scale regularisation” of illegal workers in France. Aubry was responding to an announcement by Eric Besson, the French immigration minister, that he wants to apply tougher sanctions against employers of illegal workers. Aubry also criticised French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision earlier this month to launch a public debate on French national identity. “Nicolas Sarkozy has shamed France by wanting to place national identity in opposition to immigration,” she said. Libération has a report.

The leader of the UK's third party, the Liberal Democrats, has said he is prepared to support whichever party gets the most votes in a general election if neither Labour nor the Conservatives secures an overall majority. Nick Clegg, who is a former MEP, said: “Whichever party has the strongest mandate from the British people, it seems to me obvious in a democracy they have the first right to seek to try and govern, either on their own or with others.” The Independent and the Times have reports.

Pope Benedict XVI has received Marko Perkovic “Thompson”, a far-right Croatian singer, writes Der Spiegel. Thompson, whose performances use symbols of Croatia's pro-Nazi government during the Second World War, is not allowed to travel to Switzerland because of his inflammatory use of Ustaša regalia, and a concert in Austria also had to be cancelled after protests.

In the UK, a second member of the parliamentary committee that regulates MPs' conduct is facing a call to resign over his expenses. Andrew Dismore reportedly claimed tens of thousands of pounds in second-home allowances for a London flat while declaring a property just a few miles away as his main residence. The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph have the story.

The lower house of Switzerland's parliament, the national council, is to elect today its youngest-ever president, writes Le Temps. Pascale Bruderer is a 32-year-old Social Democratic deputy and will lead parliamentary business for the next year.

The Guardian reports that UK military commanders are expected to tell an inquiry into the Iraq war starting tomorrow that the “invasion was ill-conceived and that preparations were sabotaged by Tony Blair's government's attempts to mislead the public”.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports that the UK's opposition Conservative party would withdraw remaining British troops from the Rhineland if they come to power next year. There are around 25,000 soldiers based around Osnabrück. Die Welt also reports on the story. 
 
Politiken writes that Denmark is set to change its Afghanistan policy. According to Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark will scale back its battle operations and focus on training Afghan military and police instead. He also said that Denmark would increase its civil society staff to help Afghans build roads, infrastructure and improve the country's logistics.

Le Figaro, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Tagesspiegel and Gazeta Wyborcza have a joint interview with John McCain, the former US presidential candidate. McCain says that US President Barack Obama, his rival in last year's election, “could have done better” at foreign policy. “Given the rise of China and India, the European Union and the United States are going to have to work closer together,” McCain said.

The Times of Malta reports that the country's annual VAT contributions to the EU and some spending in the agricultural sector have not yet been given the green light by the European Court of Auditors.