The weekly evaluates Europe's emissions-trading scheme (ETS). "So far the commission has ruled on the plans of only ten of the 25 EU members. Six countries have not yet bothered to file their plans, five months after the supposed deadline; France is promising to resubmit its proposals. Nor is the commission's verdict the final word. There will be months of revisions and haggling before the shape of the second phase is clear. Nonetheless Kate Hampton of Climate Change Capital, an investment bank that specialises in emissions trading, argues that the commission has at least shown that it is determined to be a 'credible regulator'. That might encourage other countries to imitate the ETS, or even to join it. ... Indeed, Europe's example might just pave the way for a worthy successor to Kyoto, which expires in 2012 - so long as the commission manages to keep Europe's recalcitrant governments in line." (01/12/2006)

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"Industrial lobbies everywhere are fighting for the last drop of CO2 emissions. And everywhere they are threatened with job loss, lack of energy security and investor boycotts," writes Dagmar Dehmer. "The EU Commission's decision to reject national emissions apportionment is a defeat for the German government. In January 2007, Germany assumes presidency of the European Union and has already declared its intention to make climate protection a major topic. The 'pink slip from Brussels' undermines Germany's credibility. Now, Germany is in a weak position in future international talks on climate protection, because, according to the EU-Commission, it didn't do its homework." (01/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Dagmar Dehmer

The daily commentates in its editorial the sudden withdrawal of the French caps proposals. "Just as protection of the environment has slipped onto the presidential campaign's menu, Jacques Chirac is overflowing with virtuous declarations in the domain. Admirable intentions! But Paris took the risk, on Wednesday, November 29th, of being seen as the odd one out in the EU. ... Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment, gave France two weeks to present him with a scheme conforming to his demands. ... In it's defence, France can stress that it is no the only one struggling against the Brussels authorities who are incidentally demonstrating their ability to resist the pressure of the business world. Italy, Spain, Austria, The Czech Republic, Hungary and Denmark have all failed to present Brussels with any scheme and are undergoing infraction procedures." (01/12/2006)

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A group of five Belgian climatologists and physicists have co-signed an article in which they denounce "climatic disinformation". According to them, "radically reducing the emission of green-house gases does not require an economic collapse but a profound adaptation of the economy and society. ... If there are questions to be debated, it is largely on these necessary changes that they we should focus. Can we reduce emissions sufficiently by principally using new technology? ... How to contribute to clean energy consummation in developing countries? How to build fair trade at the service of everyone's well-being? Is Europe doing enough to walk its talk? So many ethical factors are at stake, political choices to be made and crucial questions to be treated in the pursuit of human development in the 21st century, not in an alarmist manner, but resolutely." (29/11/2006)

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German sociologist Ulrich Beck opposes the halt of EU accession talks with Turkey: "The EU's attempt to define itself through shared cultural heritage and Western Christian values is bound to fail. United Europe arose in response to the horrors of the 20th century: the continent's self-destruction through two world wars, the Holocaust, and Stalinist terror. Europe's miracle is that it has learned from this history: Make neighbours of enemies; that is the soul of Europe. And maybe that is why the Pope, recognizing the historical importance of compromise between Christians and Muslims, argues for Turkey's EU membership - in short, for the ongoing Europeanization of Turkey." (01/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Ulrich Beck

In an interview given to the Italian cultural magazine 'MicroMega' and duplicated in the daily, Salman Rushdie, the British writer of Indian origin, shares his thoughts on the reform, which he considers possible, of the religion of Mohammed. "I am not a believer and therefore cannot speak in the name of the Muslim community, but I do think that we urgently need to take a look at the 'us against them' scenario and encourage some change ... . The crux of the problem can be found in Koranic and Muslim schools where the reality of the outside world is negated ... I think that the reform of Islam will begin in the West with Muslim women, because it is they who have understood, better than anyone else - and surely better than men - the problems of Islam. There was no female terrorist in the planes of September 11th.' (01/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Salman Rushdie

Dutch writer Leon de Winter tries to understand the "general discomfort" of his compatriots as revealed in recent elections. He tells Hans-Peter Born: "It comes from unhappiness with the antiquated, indirect democratic system. Our people are well educated, like the Swiss. We have lots of information. We can read, absorb, and choose. But we only are asked to express our opinion once every four years. Our mayors are not elected, but appointed. Up until a few decades ago, an indirect democracy was needed. But times have changed. We recognize problems, we analyze them, and we are more or less on a par with our politicians... Yet we are condemned to passivity, while our will to take part in the political process has grown exponentially." (01/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Leon de Winter

On November 30th, Scotlands's national St Andrew's day, three Scottish authors, Alasdair Gray, Christopher Harvie and Jimmy Reid, signed a defence of Scottish Independence published in the online magazine. "New Labour has sold itself to private business at every level, cutting deals with individual, corporate and multinational wealth as enthusiastically as the John Major and Margaret Thatcher governments it replaced, promising only (but failing) to rule us more honestly. We want instead a land whose government encourages local businesses of different kinds, and enterprises whose goals are not just profits, but support for innovation and cooperation. New Labour's economics are fraudulent - an indiscriminate growth of gambling, retailing and fast food, financed by borrowing, arms-dealing and social inequalities, with the bill yet to come in. We need independence to start sorting our country and making it a nation with a voice in world affairs." (30/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Christopher Harvie, » Jimmy Reid

Austrians are talking about a decree by its lame-duck government that denies social assistance to children of foreigners. Migration expert Bernhard Perchinig considers this principle of exclusion completely wrong: "Austria is one of the few countries in Western Europe that still refuses to recognize as citizens those who are born here. Like the level of education, citizenship status is primarily inherited, regardless of where or how long people have lived in Austria. The blood law (jus sanguinis) has dominated Austrian citizenship law since 1811, when Emperor Franz I signed paragraph 28 of the Civil Code of Austria. Parents' passports continue to determine whether the Republic feels responsible for their children's well being.... Even Germany, long considered the exemplar of blood law, introduced a new law based on birthplace, in its citizenship rights reform of 2000." (01/12/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Social Policy / Employment, » Migration, » Crime and Law, » Austria
All available articles from » Bernhard Perchinig

Cesáreo Aguilera, Spanish professor of political science, considers that the media tends to confuse the terms 'Eurosceptic' and 'Europhobic'. He establishes a clear distinction between the two. "Eurosceptics are used to accepting a purely economic and inter-governmental EU and are only opposed, albeit head-on, to the eventuality of a political federation. According to their calculations, the EU is only acceptable in so far as it is a big market which is good for striking deals and receiving funds. Europhobes, on the contrary, are opposed to the EU because of what it is and what it might become if the integration process were to continue. Their logic requires nations to be uninterested in the EU, or, better still, the complete disbandment of the Union". (01/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Cesáreo Aguilera

Since May 2006, the ultra-right-wing League of Polish Families (LPR) has had two ministers in the Polish government in Warsaw. Journalist and philosopher Marcin Król believes that such extremist parties should be kept far from seats of power in Europe. "Poland - or, rather, the governing PiS [Law and Justice party] contravenes the most important goal of democracy: Stability and predictability. It is not that the LPR or similar parties could turn Poland 'fascist.' That is highly unlikely. It is really about the unwritten international rules of the democratic world, based on political equilibrium and the principle of friendship between peoples. ... Compromise is necessary in a democracy. ... But you should never compromise with a radical party." (01/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Marcin Król

Finland is not a member of NATO. But it still participates with the Germans and Dutch in the NATO quick-response task force in Afghanistan. That's not right, says Björn Mansson. "There has to be a limit. For Finland, as a non-member of Nato, there is no reason to take part in such operations. Because they are not designed only to deliver humanitarian assistance. No, they are meant to enforce peace through military means. If necessary, we can do that under the EU banner, but not under the Nato flag." (01/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Björn Mansson

As Portugal is organising a referendum on the legalisation of abortion due to take place in February 11th, the Portuguese writer Jacinto Lucas Pires is surprised not to see more militant left-wingers opposing this practice. "This surprises me because if there still exists something that can distinguish left from right, it has to be the desire for real transformation of society and the world. Above all this implies not giving in to the tragedy of a 'fait accompli'. On the other hand, it is obvious that this concrete dream of the left should rest upon basic principles of humanity and justice - and the protection of human life is the starting point. However, the left (for once all together, from the centre through to extremes...) are doing quite the contrary, giving in to the easy option of saying 'yes, just because.' ... Is the left, in so doing, not going to distort itself irreversibly and finally accept to become one more pawn in the game of conformity, pessimism and politically correct?" (01/12/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Social Policy / Employment, » Social movements, » Portugal
All available articles from » Jacinto Lucas Pires

Estonia has passed a bill criminalising the use of symbols from the "occupying regime". Included are symbols of the National Socialist and Soviet regimes. The Estonian daily paper casts a sceptical eye. "Like most bans, this decision reveals a societal weakness. No problem is resolved through prohibitions and punishments. Yet the public is meant to think otherwise. ... The ban on symbols of occupation reveals our inability to deal with our history. But Estonia is far from the only country to apply criminal law to this problem. In some countries, it is even illegal to deny the Holocaust." (01/12/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Crime and Law, » History, » Estonia

"This autumn's four most prestigious prizes [in France] were awarded to the American Jonathan Littell (Prix Goncourt and the Académie Française's Grand Prix du Roman ), to the French-Canadian Nancy Huston (Prix Femina) and the French-Congolese Alain Mabanckou (Prix Renaudot), represents a significant moment in a literary France that is losing it's momentum", writes Jean-Louis Kuffer. "The tenors of current world literature are not French, but most frequently from countries where big clashes provoke strong works. ... This does not mean that contemporary literary France is of no interest, far from it, there is a thriving community of quality writers there. But there are no longer voices of 'universal' reach, comparable to the first half of the 20th century's extraordinary number of masters, from Proust to Bernanos, through Céline, Gide, Malraux, Camus and so many others." (30/11/2006)

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All available articles from » Jean-Louis Kuffer

"Human agencies, usually governmental, certainly institutional, are always central to the health of languages", writes Alan Titley, professor of Irish in University College Cork (UCC). "There can, and always should be, a healthy debate about the nature of this support. This debate is probably most lively and presents greater disagreement among the Irish-language community than anywhere else. ... Very few Irish speakers go through life without facing levels of comment and abuse that could be sometimes classed as racist. ... Most people make the right noises and say the language is great, and a national treasure, and part of what we are, and love to hear it spoken, and wish more people used it and whatever you're having yourself. But as soon as any proposal is made, big, small or indifferent, the barrage of excuses hit the fan ... ". (01/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Alan Titley