There are cases where people recover after years being in coma. However, there are many, many, many more people in the same state who never recover, who are just plants.

Life is not sacred. Quality of life is.

3. Patient's affirmative consent (antedated if need be)

I too am happy to live in a country with a humane policy towards voluntary end-of-life, but this is not a clear cut case where euthanasia would apply: this is a patient with at least some consciousness left, but that no court would find competent to make decisions, and with no known relatives (up until the reporter found one).

The question then becomes not only whether the required conditions for euthanasia apply, but also whether the state-appointed legal guardian has the mandate to make such a fundamental decision on behalf of the patient. Personally speaking, granting that kind of power to a government representative is not something I'm comfortable with.