The designated German President Joachim Gauck is the exact opposite of his morally compromised predecessor Christian Wulff, the liberal Tages-Anzeiger writes praising his nomination: "He is the natural choice after Wulff's spectacular failure. He is a moral authority, incorruptible, true to his principles and independent. He never bowed to the GDR regime - and even after the fall of the Berlin Wall he kept his independence. Instead of launching into a career in politics (Gauck does not belong to any party even today) he took charge of the Stasi files authority. Joachim Gauck comes across as the antithesis to Wulff, the professional politician and careerist, the bargain-hunter who let friends pay for hotel stays and provide him with a mortgage and smart car on favourable terms - but otherwise had little to offer. With Gauck there is a real chance that the presidency, which has been so tarnished by the events of the past weeks, will regain its old lustre and a new depth and significance." (20/02/2012)

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave up her resistance to Joachim Gauck's presidential candidacy on Sunday. After the debacle with her last choice for president, Christian Wulff, this is a wise decision, the liberal daily NRC Handelsblad concludes: "Merkel had to get rid of the political ballast that Christian Wulff had become for her and the Christian Democrats. … Germany is now free of a man who had lost any moral authority he ever had. It needed a president who exudes this authority. … Merkel did everything in her power to push through Wulff as president in 2010, even though the opposition Social Democrats and the Greens had proposed Joachim Gauck, an Eastern German clergyman who is not affiliated with any party, as a very good alternative back then. But Merkel rejected his candidacy for party-political reasons. … Now the Chancellor has shown her willingness to find a 'joint candidate' together with the Social Democrats and the Greens. In Germany everything, even the presidency, is politicised, but this time Merkel has kept her word." (20/02/2012)

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel long rejected the idea of Joachim Gauck as German president, but the generosity and pragmatism revealed by her decision on Sunday evening show her in a favourable light, writes the liberal daily Kurier: "Her instinct for the mood among the people is often better than her instinct for what her own supporter base wants, where top functionaries from her core Catholic strongholds in the south didn't want another Eastern German Protestant heading the state. Even if his message of optimism, love of liberty and self-confident patriotism was more suited to the Christian Democrats that to the [opposition] Social Democrats. The opposition will no doubt derive some satisfaction from this late victory. But it doesn't seem to have done Merkel much harm: generosity suits her and does not go unrewarded in politics. Cool pragmatism has always been her trademark anyway. And in future it will be up to Gauck to inspire political emotion." (20/02/2012)

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Joachim Gauck, a human rights activist in the former East Germany, won't be an easy president, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Joachim Gauck is a clever and authoritative man. His strength is his preacher-like pathos, even if it is somewhat limited in scope. He is not an easy candidate, he thinks emotionally, talks emotionally, and now also acts emotionally. It will be an unpredictable president, and he's sure to ruffle some feathers. Not so very long ago he showed understanding for the xenophobic theses of Thilo Sarrazin, calling the controversial author 'courageous'. ... Other German presidents were elected and then gained in popularity. With Gauck it's the other way round: he gained hugely in popularity as a candidate against Wulff - and has now been nominated for that reason. But it would almost be a miracle if he remains so popular." (20/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Heribert Prantl

After lengthy negotiations the states of the Eurozone seem ready to grant Greece a second bailout package of 130 billion euros when they meet today, Monday. But the main objective of the loan is to rescue Germany, the conservative daily The Times writes: "Given the damage Greece's exit could cause in Germany, it is in Germany's best economic interest that Greece remains in the euro. But this would require the Eurozone - that is, mainly Germany - to fund the gap between Greece's imports and its exports until it has made up its huge loss of competitiveness. Some economists say this will simply be impossible if Greece stays within the Eurozone and cannot devalue its currency. Even optimists admit that it could take a decade. And it is very hard to believe the German people would be prepared to foot the bill for that long even if the Greeks were to hand over the running of their economy to Berlin." (20/02/2012)

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Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti informed the Vatican on Thursday that in future real estate belonging to the Church will also be subject to taxes. Finally a European head of government is heeding the will of the people and scrapping outdated privileges, writes the left-liberal daily Le Soir: "The times are hard for the people of Europe. But the austerity measures that have been imposed will only be accepted if they are just and proportional. The austerity must be carried out in an ethical way, and our leaders must show that everyone is expected to contribute and that privileges are being curtailed. ... Popular revolutions always start with a sense of flagrant injustice and inequality. The leaders must be courageous and implement the austerity measures equitably, without protecting anyone. They will only be all the more legitimate and respected for doing so. Impossible? Each day Monti proves the contrary. He gives us hope that it's possible to turn the situation around with a dignified, resolute but also just handling of this unprecedented crisis." (18/02/2012)

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Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

The conservative French president Nicolas Sarkozy launched his bid for a second presidency at his first major election rally in Marseille on Sunday. Sarkozy has dispelled all doubts about his infallibility and has taken up the role of saviour of the nation, the left-liberal daily La Repubblica scoffs: "Only recently, in a moment of carefully rehearsed candidness, Nicolas Sarokzy dared to concede the possibility of defeat in front of journalists. Although a valiant captain he, too, knew the human torment of uncertainty. ... But there is no trace of a president aware of his own fallibility in the candidate Sarkozy. Sarkozy presents himself as completely self-assured and conceals with great skill the ambiguity of his speech. With the passion of a tribune he is sneaking his way into the schizophrenia of the French - and he is not the only one. He knows how to strike the fine balance between the spirit of reform and the conservatism that are dragging the European soul in two opposite directions. He is able to accomplish this balancing act because he claims to unite the two opposite extremes. He casts himself as the guardian of the status quo and the advocate of tempting progress at the same time." (20/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Bernardo Valli

The Romanian opposition alliance USL has claimed that the new government under Prime Minister Mihai Ungureanu is unconstitutional and filed a complaint with the country's Constitutional Court. The quorum necessary for the confirmation of certain cabinet ministers was not attained in parliament because the opposition alliance boycotted the proceedings. The news portal Ziare criticises the opposition's initiative and calls for an amendment to the constitution: "What would happen if the opposition's suit were upheld by the constitutional court? The fact that Ungureanu's government would be declared unlawful would be the lesser evil, because the very fabric of democracy would be destroyed. It would mean that any minority could block any majority, and every minority could set its own conditions. ... Ultimately this sort of blackmail could result in the absurd situation that any opposition could threaten not to approve a government whose prime minister or ministers it didn't favour. ... What right does the opposition have to wield such absolute power? The problem is that the constitution does not formulate clearly enough the procedure for establishing a government - further proof that it must be amended." (20/02/2012)

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Urbanization is regarded as one of the big issues of our time. Today more than half the world's population lives in cities, while 200 years ago it was only three percent. A sense of identification with cities can even help combat nationalism, Daniel A. Bell and Avner de-Shalit, co-authors of the book The Spirit of Cities assert in the daily Público: "True, cities cannot provide the rich sense of community that often characterizes villages and small towns. But a different form of community evolves in cities. People often take pride in their cities, and seek to nourish their distinctive civic cultures. … Urban pride can also prevent extreme nationalism. Most people need a communal identity, but it may well be better to find it in one's attachment to a city than in attachment to a country that is armed and willing to engage in conflict with enemies. Individuals who have a strong sense of civicism can make decisions based on more than mere patriotism when it comes to national commitments." (17/02/2012)

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Foreign investments in Bulgaria went down by forty percent year on year in 2011, according to a report published by the Bulgarian National Bank. That's because Bulgarians have stopped investing in their own businesses, writes the economist Emil Harsev in the daily Sega: "Foreign investors seldom risk investing in unknown entities, because mostly this leads to losses. Investing naively in an unknown country with unclear business prospects is typical of smaller and mid-sized businesses. ... Serious and experienced foreign investors, by contrast, prefer to invest in well-established businesses with the necessary business permits, ones that have overcome all hidden bureaucratic obstacles. So if the politicians wish to promote permanent and sustainable foreign investment in Bulgaria, they must first ask themselves how they can aid local investors and companies." (19/02/2012)

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The Golden Bear, the top prize at the 62nd Berlinale film festival, went to the two brothers Paolo und Vittorio Taviani for their film Caesar Must Die on Saturday. The film is about how the inmates of a Rome prison stage a play by Shakespeare. The two filmmakers deserved to win, but the competition was pretty weak, comments the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore: "With a creative beating of wings that has revived a career which seemed headed towards a melancholy end, Paolo und Vittorio Taviani have won the Golden Bear. They deserve the prize, not just owing to the painful mediocrity of the other films but also because of the courage with which the two filmmakers once more struck out into unknown territory, combining their love of experiments with documentary filmmaking and reality with fiction. The result is less than perfect, the multiple layers of the film seem at times a little contrived, but it is without doubt an interesting film that lives up to the Berlinale's expectations of promoting new languages, new forms and new talents. And that is more than can be said of the other films, in particular the three German entries." (19/02/2012)

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The Hungarian film Just the Wind by Benedek Fliegauf won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday. But Hungarian film is on its last legs under Viktor Orbán's right-wing conservative government, writes the left-wing daily Népszava: "The huge interest in Fliegauf's film is clearly also due to the fact that with its anti-democratic policies the Hungarian government is continually in the spotlight of the foreign - and hence also the German - media. The German press is well aware not only of the social and political crises in Hungary, but also of the measures introduced by the Orbán government that are so devastating for Hungarian culture - especially for Hungarian films. It no doubt also knows that the government has ruined Hungary's system of film financing, which functioned tolerably well in professional terms, bringing us numerous international successes. Since then Hungarian film production has practically come to a standstill. The only reason Hungarian films are made at all today is because productions already underway have been brought to a successful conclusion." (20/02/2012)

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Who's saying what » Resistance to Hungarian government

In a referendum held on Saturday, the people of Latvia voted by a clear majority against Russia being made the country's second official language. The web portal 15min laments that the referendum was ever held and fears that the Russian minority in Latvia is still being manipulated by the Kremlin: "Instead of calling on the Russians in Latvia to finally integrate themselves into Latvian society, Russia is encouraging them to rebel against the Latvian state. … The Russians in Latvia, Estonia and also in Lithuania are still hostage to Putin's imperialist politics. So it's no wonder the Russians are seen as a fifth column in Latvia. As long as Moscow doesn't change its attitude this won't change. … In Latvia there are still around a hundred schools which mainly teach in Russian. This is why the Russians can get along fine in Latvia without even speaking Latvian. And thousands of Russians are even proud of the fact that they can't speak a word of Latvian." (20/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Rimvydas Valatka

At Bulgaria's largest hospital for emergency treatment, the Pirogov hospital in Sofia, visitors who want to stay and watch over family members must pay a fee of approximately 7.50 euros per day. This fee covers the cost of water consumption, toilet use, heating, and recharging of mobile phones. The daily Trud is appalled: "This is a disgrace. It can't be called anything else when hospitals blackmail the parents of a sick child to recoup the cost of them recharging their mobile phones. Even though they are  forced to stand next to the patient's bed, or at best huddle up on a small chair while the cockroaches crawl past. Looking at the hospital price lists you wonder why they haven't yet come up with the idea of charging for the air the parents breathe or the daylight coming through the window, or the luxury of being able to look through a window at all." (19/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Emilia Karaabova