Amount to or be reduced to, as in It all comes down to a matter of who was first in line, or When it comes right down to it, you have to admit he was mistaken. [Late 1800s] Also see boil down, def. 2.
Για το πρώτο παράδειγμα, θα έλεγα "Η ουσία είναι...", αλλά για το δεύτερο μού φαίνεται...