Geert Wilders' party's right-wing populist attack against Eastern Europeans is unacceptable, as is the silence of the conservative-liberal prime minister, the left-leaning daily Pravda writes indignantly: "Categorising people according to their ethnic and religious background is a tried and tested method used by the populists whenever they need a scapegoat to woo voters. The Netherlands too, where the political climate has changed considerably in recent years, is not immune to this virus. … There may be Polish plumbers who are a little too loud, leave a little mess behind, or even get on the wrong side of the law. But there is nothing worse than generalising isolated cases and stigmatising an entire people in the process. … That Dutch Prime Minister Rutte is not reacting to Wilders is understandable: his government depends on Wilders' support."    (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Minorities, » Crime, » Netherlands, » Eastern Europe
All available articles from » Marián Repa

The incendiary website set up by Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders should be banned as quickly as possible before it causes further trouble in Europe, the web portal euinside demands: "As Central and Eastern Europeans we already have to put up with the humiliation of being looked down on by our Western European partners (quite often deservedly). But it has to be said that we are making a genuine effort to live up to Europe's common values and no one should hinder us in this endeavour. Otherwise there will be terrible repercussions - not just for us but for all Europe. … For if we fail, everyone will bear the consequences. The EU would lose economic clout and credibility in foreign policy because it would be plunged deeper and deeper into the quagmire of its own problems. Campaigns like that of the Dutch Party for 'Freedom' leave us with nothing more than the empty feeling that united Europe has taken a little over 50 years only to return to its beginnings."  (14/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Integration, » Europe, » Eastern Europe, » South East Europe
All available articles from » Adelina Marini

In their open letter the ten ambassadors of Central and Eastern European countries not only condemned the website for complaints about Eastern Europeans as discriminatory, but also called on the Dutch government to distance itself from the right-wing populist PVV party's initiative. However Prime Minister Mark Rutte has refused to do so. The liberal daily NRC Handelsblad supports the ambassadors: "You write that in your countries Dutch society was regarded as a model of freedom and tolerance. These words cut us deeply, precisely because you represent European member states which for decades had to go without democracy and freedom. … This is what makes the discriminatory PVV website so bitter. It is very unfortunate that our Prime Minister Mark Rutte is showing no empathy for your feelings and adopting such a formal stance. We fear that cooperation between the Netherlands and your countries will become more difficult as a result. … We hope that our government will decide to clearly distance itself from this despicable website after all."   (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Politics, » Netherlands, » Eastern Europe

The special meeting of Eurozone finance ministers planned for today, Wednesday, has been cancelled by Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker on the grounds that Greece has not yet fulfilled all conditions for receiving a second bailout package. Taking such a hard line is absolute madness, the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore writes. "Are we being too hard on Greece? Europe is beginning to have doubts. However the negative stance of Germany and the EU Commission will brook no challenge. The new conditions for receiving the 130 billion rescue package are indispensable. The revolts in Athens and the desperation of the people are having little impact on the virtuous citizens of the North. The clash between the blind intransigence of certain parties and the gigantic sacrifices being demanded of the Greeks without further delay has not triggered a short circuit yet - but it may not be long in coming. For now, it's just a meeting that has been cancelled. But the time left for preventing a catastrophe has almost run out."      (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Adriana Cerretelli
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

In addition to downgrading six countries on Monday, the US rating agency Moody's also lowered the prognosis for France to negative outlook. After the French President Nicolas Sarkozy played down the downgrading of his country by Standard & Poor's in January, it's now time French politicians and voters took the warnings seriously, writes the liberal daily Les Echos: "Encouraged by the markets' seeming indifference to the decisions taken by the rating agencies, public opinion in France continues to regard the misfortunes of Greece as having little bearing on reality at home. Does that mean a real downgrading is the best thing that could happen before the presidential elections? By no means. But even though the French now put lowering the debt and the deficit at the top of their agenda, they have still failed to draw the painful conclusions. In the opinion polls they keep demanding more public services, more teachers, police and magistrates, and more welfare for themselves." (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Financial Markets, » Elections, » France, » U.S.
All available articles from » Jean-Françis Pécresse

Moody's rating agency downgraded the credit standing of six countries on Monday night and placed Austria on "negative outlook". The austerity package only just presented by the Austrian government can't stop this trend because it doesn't include genuine structural reforms, writes the left-liberal daily Der Standard: "Costs have indeed exploded, and without real cutbacks this won't change. Just as bank taxes and higher taxes on oil and energy only served to plug up new holes in the budget, the solidarity contribution, the real estate tax and higher social contributions will simply seep away. Without a reform of the federal state and far higher cuts for those who retire early there will be no real change of direction, and meanwhile the country's credit rating will be brought lower and lower. While the government boasts of its achievements, real change is being delayed indefinitely." (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Austria
All available articles from » Andreas Schnauder

National bank account numbers are to be replaced by standardised 22-digit European numbers by 2016, the EU Parliament decided on Tuesday. The Iban is meant to facilitate bank transfers within the EU. But no one needs Iban the Terrible, the daily Bild fulminates: "Why all the fuss? Because the EU Commission dreams of a Single European Payment Area. As if Grandma transferred money to Paris and Rome five times a day. Perhaps a few businesses will benefit from all this, but for hundreds of millions of citizens it just makes things more complicated. However that's not the type of thing the Brussels Eurocrats spend their time worrying about. Just as long as things are standardised. And if it doesn't work, it just means the member countries will have once again incorrectly implemented Brussels' pretty plans. Unity in Diversity - that's the motto of the EU Commission. Too bad the Eurocrats always turn it into one big meaningless mish-mash." (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Dirk Hoeren

The Swiss defence minister, Ueli Maurer, spoke out on Tuesday emphatically in favour of the purchase of 22 Swedish Gripen fighter aircraft. In doing so he was reacting to public criticism of the quality of the aircraft. The government should postpone and reconsider the purchase, the liberal daily Tages-Anzeiger advises: "It is problematic … that the manufacturer of the Gripen, Saab, is a relatively small firm. No one knows whether Sweden will still be producing and developing aircraft forty years from now. The purchase of aircraft binds one to the manufacturer for that amount of time. A guarantee from the Swedish state that it would intervene in an emergency is of no help here. Eurofighter manufacturer EADS, Europe's largest aerospace corporation in Europe, has only its size and international backing to thank for the fact that it has better prospects for the future. Technical concerns, uncertain prospects and the austerity programme required for the purchase make one conclusion obvious: it must be postponed. Once the Tiger Jets are decommissioned the 33 F/A-18 fighters can be used for performing air policing duties until around 2030. Only when that date draws nearer should Switzerland purchase a new fighter and convert to a one-model fleet." (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Corporations, » Switzerland
All available articles from » Daniel Foppa

Russia and China have blocked a resolution against the Syrian regime with their veto in the UN Security Council. The politician Bruno Tertrais criticises veto rights as obsolete in the conservative daily Le Figaro: "Today the international community is at the mercy of political decisions taken by two authoritarian regimes: in one the tone is set by a mafia-like oligarchy and all-powerful secret service, while the other is ruled by a corrupt political-military elite whose highest goal is to hold on to power. Must the fate of nations under threat be held hostage by institutions like the FSB, Russia's internal secret service, the Communist Party of China and the People's Liberation Army? That's what comes of the golden rule of only acting on the basis of a resolution by the Security Council." (14/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » Global, » China
All available articles from » Bruno Tertrais
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

Europe has elected the Keynesian approach to overcome the economic crisis, notes former bank director Péter Felcsuti in the online edition of the left-liberal weekly Magyar Narancs. However he doubts that this is the right approach. "We must be aware that every crisis emerges as the result of a loss of confidence and ends once confidence is restored. So if increased government spending boosts demand, confidence returns, and the whole operation can be deemed successful. But if it fails, the patient dies or at least falls into a coma. … In reaction to the economic and financial crisis the European states have applied the Keynesian approach, with the result that many EU member states have become indebted owing to overspending. The government money pumped into the economy has not restored the confidence of the major players. Consequently neither the economy has been boosted nor have tax revenues increased. As the main buyers of government bonds the banks have been 'infected' by the high levels of public debt. In response the banks have cut down on granting loans, which has been a shock for the real economy. And ever since this process has turned into a vicious circle." (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economy, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » Péter Felcsuti
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

In the Italian asbestos trial a court in Turin on Monday delivered two prison sentences for negligence that led to the deaths of approximately 3,000 workers as a result of asbestos poisoning. The Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny, former owner of the Eternit cement factories and an ex-manager of Eternit Italy were condemned to 16 years behind bars and ordered to pay millions in damages. The judgement is welcome news, but the asbestos problem is far more extensive, writes cancer researcher Umberto Veronesi in the liberal daily La Stampa: "That asbestos causes mesothelioma, a particularly aggressive tumour of the pleurae, has been known since the 1950s. But asbestos wasn't banned [in Italy] until 1992. With their 30-year delay the governments made themselves partially responsible. Because of the delay the problem of removing asbestos has taken on gigantic proportions. A detailed analysis of where the carcinogenic material is to be found and how it can be removed is indispensable. … In addition there must be more intensive research into external causes of cancer. Because the search for external factors remains one of the most important methods for defeating this illness. This is the lesson to be learned from the Eternit trial." (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Health and Medicine, » Justice, » Italy
All available articles from » Umberto Veronesi

Lithuania's authority for the preservation of public monuments wants to set regulations for erecting crucifixes on the Hill of Crosses, a Catholic pilgrimage destination in the north of the country, so as to preserve the monument for future generations. The online edition of the liberal daily Lietuvos rytas opposes the plan: "In Czarist times and during the Soviet era, the Hill of Crosses became a symbol of popular resistance to the foreign power. It grew up spontaneously, and not as a project 'from above'. The crosses were erected against the authorities who were in power at the time. ... Now the attempt is being made to curb this collective artwork against the will of the people. As if the dark Soviet days were back again, the authorities have once more denounced the 'illegal erection of crosses'. ... They are trying to stop a living tradition, to stuff it like an animal. Because clearly it's simpler to deal with a stuffed object than with a living being." (14/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Architecture / Cities, » Lithuania
All available articles from » Noreikienė, Jurgita

Finnish medical students are protesting across the country against a decision by the Education Ministry to raise the number of university places in medicine from 610 to 770 per semester by 2016, in a bid to counteract the lack of doctors. The students fear the quality of medical training will suffer as a result. Simply raising the number of places in medical schools won't actually solve the problem, writes the liberal daily Kaleva: "There's got to be a balance between teaching and resources. On the long term the crux of the question is how financial resources are distributed within medical faculties: should priority be given to teaching or research? The worst problem is the lack of doctors in the health centres, which have difficulties finding personnel. Doctors avoid working there because there's enough work in private clinics, in-company healthcare services and research. ... The doctors' attitude leaves room for improvement. But it wouldn't be necessary to keep raising the number of university places if working in the health centres were more attractive." (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Health and Medicine, » Finland

In its Sin Show on Monday night, the Romanian television station Antena 1 broadcast an amateur video of former prime minister Emil Boc standing naked in a changing room, inviting opposition politicians and journalists to comment on the video. For the daily Gândul the end of journalism will not be long in coming: "The former PM's rear end graced the screens for over an hour while guests commented on the image. Presumably the journalists are deeply ashamed of this sorry spectacle, which deals another death blow to this worthy profession. ... A profession continually sabotaged by unscrupulous, disrespectful members. Politicians have put fetters on almost the entire press and dubious characters have become media entrepreneurs, purchasing journalists as they see fit. Journalism - and its professional ethic - have been no more than an insult in recent years. ... The press is dying because it lacks wisdom, ethics and the ability to express itself in proper grammatical language. Such shows only hasten the end." (15/02/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Press freedom, » Media, » Romania
All available articles from » Florin Negrutiu