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Schönau, Birgit
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2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Birgit Schönau on the lack of criticism toward Italy
Writing in the weekly paper Die Zeit, the author and journalist Birgit Schönau criticises the passive attitudes outside Italy to the dubious policies of Prime Minister Silvio Bersconi: "Italy has been abandoned like a drowning ship. A country without a future and without hope, without a past and devoid of shame. A country with neither government nor opposition. A country where everything or nothing is possible, a country like a portent of worse things to come. That's what can happen when the judiciary no longer guarantees people's rights and the television doesn't provide the smallest snippet of information. That's what it's like when a founding member of the EU distances itself from democracy and no one, not a single European, dares open their mouth. When Berlusconi formed his first government in 1994 government ministers in Belgium and Greece refused to shake their neofascist colleague's hand. That's all over and done with, everything's back to normal. Today the diplomats go down into the basement to shake their heads. ... There doesn't seem to be any alternative, any way out. An entire nation sits and gapes, waiting to see what Berlusconi and the Berlusconians will think up next. No one can stop them any more, the landslide course was set long ago. But if we outside of Italy started to take these developments seriously instead of just considering them typically Italian it would at least be a first step in the right direction."
» more information (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Italy, » Europe
Football for billionaires
The daily Süddeutsche Zeitung expresses concern about the influence exerted by wealthy investors on Europe's football leagues. "In total 450 million euros were spent on Italy's transfer market and - thanks to the oil and gas reserves in Abu Dhabi and Russia - even more in England. The Spanish league and the [top German division] the Bundesliga cannot keep up with this - perhaps because they do not have the advantages of a head of government like [Italian Prime Minister] Silvio Berlusconi. He invited Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich to lunch on the Island of Sardinia on a blue August day. ... Two days later [striker] Andre Schevchenko was signed up with AC Milan again. The Italians have been able to keep foreign investors in football at arm's length so far. ... Only Berlusconi and Inter's [the Milan football club] petrol tycoon Massimo Moratti can ... hold their own with Abramovich, but the much poorer competition doesn't want to be left behind. ... No matter what the cost."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Sport, » United Kingdom, » Italy, » Europe
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