The resignation of the Boc government was overdue, the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung writes, and hopes that an independent technocrat will put the country back on track: "The healthcare reform is a failure, the judicial reform leaves much to be desired and ailing state enterprises are still running up huge losses. ... The crux of the problem is the political system. Unfortunately it needs more time to renew itself than the country has at its disposal. None of the big parties, neither the ruling conservatives nor the allied opposition Social Democrats or Liberals, have the whereabouts to offer a new start. No leading politician stands above the hue and cry and the petty scrambling for influence, posts and money. Just like in Greece, clientelist structures and egoistic party cadres are paralysing the country. For that reason the best thing would be for an independent technocrat to take over the helm - and finally change the course." (07/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Klaus Brill

After the resignation of Prime Minister Emil Boc, the process of forming a government under Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, the prime minister appointed on Monday, is already in full swing. His cabinet has yet to be confirmed by parliament, however the opposition is calling for fresh elections despite the fact that regular parliamentary elections are already slated for autumn. The opposition overestimates its powers, writes Moise Guran in the blog portal BiziDay: "They plan to reject the new cabinet, but forget that the Romanians don't want them but someone else to lead the country. Ponta and Antonescu [the leaders of the major opposition parties PSD and PNL] are taking a big risk. They will be held responsible for the political instability that is already making itself felt. Ungureanu will presumably fail to win the first vote in parliament. But in the second vote, just when the opposition leaders think the fresh elections they so much want are right around the corner, they will suffer a bitter political defeat because they lack a majority. Because just as you can ride on the wave of dissatisfaction, you can also drown in it." (07/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Guran Moise

As long as Romania's elites continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the community, austerity programmes will be the downfall of governments, writes the liberal-conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "It's clear to most people that cuts must be made. The question is only how and where. In Romania as in Greece, many people have the feeling that above all those who already have very little will be squeezed of all they have to get the country back on track, while the politicians continue to lap away at the state trough. But unlike in Greece, where experiments in downsizing the bloated state sector have become stuck in the quagmire of bureaucracy, the Boc government has introduced structural reforms. Extensive lay-offs were carried out in the state apparatus and public sector salaries were cut. The first positive results have been registered, even if until now they have been reflected more in economic parameters than in real life." (07/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Social affairs, » Romania
All available articles from » Cyrill Stieger

While the Romanian government has resigned amidst massive protests against its austerity programme the Polish government is firmly in the saddle, writes political scientist Rafał Chwedoruk in the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza: "There is no threat of a major revolution here even if the trade unions have already announced protests. I expect only the workers' representatives will participate. The plans to raise the retirement age will be at the centre of the dispute. But studies have shown that the Poles have the same attitude to the extension of their working lives as they have to the planned privatisation of the healthcare system. So I don't believe there will be major political upheaval. ... A return of the [national-conservative opposition party] PiS  to power is therefore highly unlikely because for many people this party is simply not an option." (07/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Rafał Chwedoruk

With their calls for setting up a special account for Greece German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have launched a new attempt to strip Athens of its financial sovereignty. The account, to which Greece would not have access, is meant to guarantee payment for creditors. This demand is as impossible as that for an EU budget commissioner for Greece and simply serves to prepare for Greece's bankruptcy, the liberal business paper the Financial Times Deutschland concludes: "No one wants to face accusations of not having done everything possible to prevent the first bankruptcy of a Eurozone member. ... Making such unrealisable demands is therefore much more convenient than having to muscle through unpopular rescue packages for Greece in one's own country, especially for Angela Merkel. If the worst comes to the worst and the Greeks refuse to go along with the demands they would then only have themselves to blame for their insolvency and their euro exit. After all they could have accepted the EU budget commissioner, or alternatively the blocked account (and the other reforms and rescue packages)." (07/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Germany, » France, » Greece
Who's saying what » Greece in dire straits, » Ways out of the debt crisis

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy cranked up the pressure on Greece to enact the promised reforms on Monday. Europe should start thinking about what will happen if Greece really files for bankruptcy, writes the business paper Cinco Días: "The Eurozone needs an emergency plan to deal with a potential explosion in Greece. Athens' most recent provocation will likely lead to a temporary solution. Otherwise the Greek banks will go bankrupt. And the rest of the Eurozone needs a plan to prevent the panic from spreading in the financial world. Europe's hard liners, led by Germany, have lost their patience with the repeated broken promises of the Greek government. ... But is the rest of Europe really ready to throw in the towel? If that happens it won't just be the Greek government that goes bust." (07/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Germany, » France, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Hugo Dixon
Who's saying what » Greece in dire straits, » Ways out of the debt crisis

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a joint television interview with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Monday, requested by the latter in the hope of boosting his chances in the upcoming presidential elections on April 22. Although Sarkozy and Merkel have accomplished much together, the Franco-German motor is perfectly capable of running smoothly without Sarkozy, the liberal business paper Les Echos comments: "It's easy to make fun of the leaders' implicit argument that 'you don't change a winning team'. And it's very tempting indeed in view of the patent failure of the Greek recovery. ... Of course, Angela Merkel would work with François Hollande if he were elected, because the Franco-German alliance transcends political differences. And perhaps that would be a good thing. Nevertheless to believe that everything that has been achieved these past years could be undone with one stroke of the pen, or that a change at the Elysée would be enough to renew growth and confidence in Europe would be very naive indeed." (07/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Germany, » France
All available articles from » Dominique Seux

The Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov travels to Damascus today to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The liberal daily Göteborgs-Posten doubts that the talks will end the bloodshed in Syria. "Russia has a unique opportunity to exert pressure on Syria's dictator. ... But there is not much hope. Lavrov is seeking political dialogue. But Assad is literally fighting for his survival after having rejected all the options for a compromise. Everything points to the civil war continuing and the situation further deteriorating in Syria before it finally improves. ... Russia and China bear a heavy burden of responsibility for this, having consistently ignored the suffering and acted solely according to the principle that nations don't have friends, only interests." (07/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » Syria
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

China and India could be the next victims of the euro crisis if they don't revise their economic policies, writes economist Stephen Roach in the business paper Jornal de Negócios: "While China is in better shape than India, neither economy is likely to implode on its own. It would take another shock to trigger a hard landing in Asia. One obvious possibility today would be a disruptive breakup of the European Monetary Union. In that case, both China and India, like most of the world's economies, could find themselves in serious difficulty. ... Seduced by the political economy of false prosperity, the West has squandered its might. Driven by strategy and stability, Asia has built on its newfound strength. But now it must reinvent itself. Japanese-like stagnation in the developed world is challenging externally dependent Asia to shift its focus to internal demand. Downside pressures currently squeezing China and India underscore that challenge. Asia's defining moment could be hand." (05/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » Economy, » Europe, » China, » India
All available articles from » Stephen Roach
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

At the end of January the parliament in Sofia voted by an absolute majority to ban shale gas mining in Bulgaria. The vote meets environmental activists half way, but that was hardly the reason for the ban, writes author Edvin Sugarev on opinion portal Svobodata: "I honestly can't imagine that a couple of well-organised and no doubt well-paid protests against shale gas produced the consensus between government and opposition. ... I believe the MPs only reached an agreement because rock-hard geopolitical interests are behind the deal - in this case Russian interests. I would even go as far as to claim that with their vote the MPs secured Gazprom's monopoly in our country, along with the prospect of Bulgaria having to pay more than most other countries in Europe for its natural gas." (06/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Politics, » Russia, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Edvin Sugarev

The US rating agency Fitch downgraded Cyprus's three top commercial banks' ratings to junk status last Thursday. The country is increasingly getting caught up in the Greek crisis, writes the liberal daily Phileleftheros and hopes that this will prompt it to put its public finances in order: "The outbreak of the crisis revealed a wasteful state that for years was at the service of the political parties. It handed out millions in absurd bonuses and services and employed citizens depending on their political orientation in order to 'buy' their votes. ... It was a system that was dominated by the power of the parties and only favoured those who 'sold' their votes. Only the crisis can restore order. But for how long? Could it be that we will see the same system reinstated once the storm has passed?" (06/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Marios Christodoulou

Estonia's right-wing liberal government is planning a  labour market reform in a bid to lower unemployment. The liberal daily Eesti Päevaleht praises the idea but fears the country's labour minister is too timid: "The basic idea that rather than supporting everyone to the same extent the state gives more support to the weak dovetails with the ideology of the [ruling] Reform Party and brings it new voters. And the same is true of increasing spending on measures to support re-integration into the labour market after prolonged illness. So why don't people just come out and say it? Presumably it's a communication problem: a minister who contests a voter's source of income will lose that vote. So rather than taking a stand himself he leaves it up to an expert committee. But what difference does it make who takes the decision to enact a meaningful reform of the social system? Fear not, Mr Minister! You want to do the right thing. Look at how the Education Ministry has managed to pass the buck of sensible secondary school reform on to the municipalities. And in the end, nothing happens at all." (07/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Labour market, » Estonia

Fewer and fewer British children are learning a second language in school. This puts the UK at a disadvantage in many respects, writes the liberal-conservative daily The Times: "Native English speakers, being understood anywhere in the developed world, are notoriously reluctant to learn foreign languages and diffident about speaking them. There are costs to a culture of monolingualism. It hampers British companies in international markets. It restricts the recruitment opportunities for British nationals in multinational enterprises. It diminishes Britain's voice in diplomacy. This country's living standards and influence are less than they might be, because languages are increasingly a specialist interest rather than a common stock of knowledge. Possessing another language may not literally yield, as Charlemagne put it, a second soul. But it will provide to future generations the incalculable gift of enabling them to see the world through the eyes of others." (07/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Upbringing / Education, » United Kingdom

The Czech railway company wants to introduce special compartments for women in trains, an idea from Austria aimed at boosting security. The liberal daily Sme doesn't think much of the idea: "According to a spokesman for Czech Railways, certain women find it unpleasant to sit together with men in a closed compartment. So certain wagons will be fitted out with a special pictogram (a man with a red line through him?), and when a man sets foot inside he will be ushered out again by an attendant. No one says that travelling by night in a passenger train is the safest way to get around. And of course a leering traveller can spoil your trip. But that's no reason to declare all men potential criminals, or to stylise women as victims. In that case we should also set up compartments for white people who don't like travelling with Roma. ... You don't instil a feeling of security in women or other travellers by setting up special compartments, but by putting more police officers on the trains." (07/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Gender equality, » Crime, » Society, » Czech Republic, » Austria
All available articles from » Miriam Zsilleová

According to several surveys the Lithuanians' trust in state institutions has declined considerably. The poor state of the country's society underscores this, writes political expert Vytautas Dumbliauskas on the online portal of Lithuania's public radio broadcaster LRT: "Only between four and five percent of the respondents trust the Lithuanian parliament - in European countries with a long democratic tradition that figure is between 40 and 60 percent. Even fever people trust the political parties, which are not state institutions but assume a mediating role between the citizens and the state. In comparison to older democracies we Lithuanians place much less trust in our legal system, our police force or our education system. ... People's trust in each other is also very low, according to sociological studies. ... An important feature of societies where people have little trust in institutions or each other is a weak civil society. And this in turn fosters the uncontrolled expansion of state bureaucracy. The state becomes a anonymous machine against which the populace feels powerless and disillusioned." (06/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Society, » Lithuania
All available articles from » Dumbliauskas, Vytautas