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Metzger, Reiner
3 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Climate fund for poor countries marks progress
The United States now also wants to pay into the climate fund from which developing countries are to access money for climate damage and green technologies. This demonstrates that the industrial countries can no longer gloss over the problems of climate change, writes the left-leaning daily Die Tageszeitung: "Despite crisis-battered budgets, the industrial countries have promised to spend hundreds of billions of euros and admitted that climate policy is now a core concern. ... In coming years we will see new organisations, new global agreements and cooperation. At the same time if things fail to run smoothly we will also see very new kinds of backhanded dealing and competition between regions. Because so much is riding on this: strategic resources for entire societies; trillions of euros per year and unfathomable profits and losses; the difference between investment and exploitation. Our lifestyles and the very outcomes of our elections are at stake. We will have to get used to summits gathering hundreds of heads of state and government together."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » Africa, » Europe, » U.S.
Transatlantic data exchange
The US and the EU are currently drawing up a data protection agreement that would legitimise the exchange of intimate personal information. The left-wing daily die tageszeitung writes that the planned agreement would be a "disaster in terms of data protection law". "The EU body of regulations ... contains a passage that allows the passing on of details on ethnic background, trade union membership, sex life and political convictions. Sadly, this is no joke. ... Advocates point out that since the attacks of September 11 the EU has been exchanging data with the US anyway - but without any regulations governing this exchange. This is an absurd argument. It is time to end this intolerable situation for in the fight on terror the US has long since transgressed the limits of what can be considered tolerable under the rule of law."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe, » U.S.
Corruption in Europe
Germany ranked number 16 in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Reiner Metzger points out that although this is not a bad performance, it shouldn't "lead those of us who live in rich countries to think that corruption is not a problem for us too. The experts have made it clear that the richer countries also play a role in the global system of corruption." Metzger complains that corruption is not taken seriously enough: "In Germany, for example, there are not enough public prosecutors, and in certain areas corruption is institutionally encouraged – for example in the healthcare system, where doctors themselves decide how much money they receive from patients. The legal apparatus is also inadequate: there are still no comprehensive regulations for chief witnesses and whistleblowers in cases of corruption within companies... Moreover, neither the government nor the parliament has signed the United Nations Convention against Corruption because this would entail redefining the legal framework for the prosecution of bribery and corruptibility of members of parliament."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Germany, » Global
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