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Open Europe will be holding three fringe events at the 2012 Conservative Party Conference. Speakers will include: David Lidington MP (Europe Minister), Andrea Leadsom MP, Chris Heaton-Harris MP and George Eustice MP. A conference pass is required to attend. For further details, check our events page.Open Europe Events Daily Press Summary Economist: Opt-out of EU crime and policing laws “will prompt a fight over Britain’s role in Europe”The Economist notes that David Cameron’s “plans to opt out of EU criminal-justice measures will prompt a fight over Britain’s role in Europe”. Open Europe’s Stephen Booth, who co-authored Open Europe’s recent report arguing in favour of exercising the block opt-out, is quoted as saying that this is “a clear choice between more or less EU control over the British justice system.” Open Europe research Economist Samaras: Greek democracy is facing its “biggest challenge”In an interview with Handelsblatt, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said that Greece can survive without the next tranche of bailout cash “until the end of November”, adding, “Then the cash box is empty”. He also warned, “Greek democracy is perhaps facing its biggest challenge”, comparing Greece’s fragile social situation to that of the Weimar Republic. Samaras called on the ECB to extend the maturity on its holding of Greek bonds and possibly reduce the interest rate, despite this option being firmly rejected by ECB President Mario Draghi yesterday.  DPA reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Athens on Tuesday to meet Samaras. Separately, Greek police clashed with 250 shipyard workers who stormed the Defence Ministry complex in Athens yesterday. Handelsblatt: Samaras Kathimerini Il Sole 24 Ore FT City AM WSJ WSJ 2 Kathimerini 2 City AM GuardianEconomist Treasury Secretary accuses Commission of “financial incontinence” over budget increase demandsGreg Clark, UK Financial Secretary to the Treasury, has accused the European Commission of “financial incontinence” and made clear ministers would not approve any increase to the EU budget, following reports that the Commission will on 23 October ask member states to plug an estimated €10bn hole in the EU budget for this year. Meanwhile, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Budget Committee have backed the Commission’s demands for a 6.8% increase to the 2013 annual budget, which is also currently being negotiated. EUobserver Mail Express EP press release Spanish government and central bank at odds over “optimistic” growth outlook; Reuters: Eurozone countries studying plan to ‘insure’ Spanish debtThe Governor of the Bank of Spain, Luis María Linde, told Spanish MPs yesterday that the government’s forecast of a fall of 0.5% of GDP in 2013 is “certainly optimistic.” Similar concerns were voiced by EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn during his meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy earlier this week, Bloomberg reports. However, Spanish Deputy Economy Minister Fernando Jiménez Latorre told MPs this morning that the government’s forecasts are accurate, since “data from the last quarter were more favourable than expected.” Separately, Reuters reports that eurozone countries are considering a plan under which the ESM, the eurozone’s new permanent bailout fund, would guarantee the first 20-30% of each new bond issued by Spain. Reuters El Mundo 2 El País 3 El País Independent El País 2 Times City AM WSJ Irish Times Cinco Días El Economista Bloomberg El Mundo Expansión Economist: Charlemagne Times: King WSJ: Fidler EconomistExpansión 2 Cinco Días Liam Fox: “Core Conservatives, and way beyond, believe we were sold a pup over Europe” Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox writes in the Telegraph, “Core Conservatives, and way beyond, believe we were sold a pup over Europe.” Citing Open Europe’s estimates, he goes on to argue, “In the past ten years, we have imported business costs via EU regulations to the tune of £124bn…We need a renegotiated relationship within a defined time and a referendum at the end. Nothing less will do.” Meanwhile, in an interview with House Magazine, Justice Minister Chris Grayling notes, “I’ve always been a eurosceptic, but I think one of the most depressing things I’ve found as a minister is that the institutions in Brussels do not think through enough the consequences of what they are doing.”  David Davis MP, a former Conservative leadership contender, also has an interview with House Magazine, where he argues, “People say now’s not the time to negotiate with the Europeans. There’s never a right time to bloody negotiate with the Europeans. There’s always an excuse…At the moment I don’t have a feeling that the [Conservative] Party or the Government knows explicitly where it’s going.” Open Europe research House magazine: Grayling House magazine: Davis Telegraph: Fox Telegraph Writing in City AM, Dalibor Rohac, an economist at the Legatum Institute, cites Open Europe’s research on the cost of EU regulation, and concludes, “By pushing for a major EU-wide deregulation instead of dreaming of a European super state, the EU would finally do something helpful.” Open Europe research City AM: Rohac  Schäuble: Eurozone reforms are beginning to bear fruit German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble writes in the WSJ that “despite formidable headwinds, [the eurozone’s reform programme] is bearing fruit,” although it may add political pressure and labour market pain in the short term. He goes on to say, “It is hard to overstate how much personal sacrifice is being experienced across Europe today. But these sacrifices would have been in vain if we were to waver now and fall for the miracle cures of debt mutualisation, cheap money, fiscal stimulus and other soothing but toxic remedies.” WSJ: Schäuble According to sources quoted by Bloomberg, Cyprus is to seek an €11bn bailout. The sum equals 62% of the island’s GDP.  EUobserver Bloomberg The ECB kept interest rates unchanged yesterday and reiterated its readiness to use its new OMT bond-buying programme. IHT Le Figaro EUobserver La Tribune FT CityAM WSJ Economist A new CSA/Les Echos poll shows that only 42% of French trust President François Hollande “to effectively tackle the main problems the country is facing.” Separately, La Tribune reports that France’s national statistics office INSEE is now predicting zero growth for the second semester of 2012. Les Echos La Tribune Speaking to the FT, former Chancellor Alistair Darling argued that it was “totally unacceptable” that the French and German governments were pushing to have equity stakes in the proposed EADS/BAE merger while Britain would not, and warned, “We will be taken to the cleaners.”FT Guardian