The time has come for international lenders to stop their payments to Greece, the liberal-conservative daily Die Presse writes, commenting on a report in Germany's Spiegel magazine which explains that the IMF should discontinue its assistance to Greece: "No wonder the International Monetary Fund wants to stop financial aid to the crisis-stricken country. Such threats have been made in the past, but they should be carried through now. How many more times do the euro countries and the IMF plan to give in? What has to happen for them to finally draw the line? The threat of Greece's exit from the Eurozone has long since ceased to frighten the financial markets. The international banks wrote off their Greek bonds long ago. Only the European Central Bank (ECB) still holds lots of Greek bonds, but even recapitalising the ECB would be affordable for the euro countries. The international lenders must make good on their threats. Otherwise they will lose credibility." (23/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Christian Hoeller
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

The German news magazine Der Spiegel reports today that senior IMF officials are calling for an end to IMF financial aid to Greece; the German Minister for Economics Philipp Rösler said in a TV interview Sunday that the threat of Greece leaving the Eurozone lost its sting long ago. The tabloid Bild is blowing the same horn: "Finally! This signal was long overdue. Greece is neither willing nor able to solve its problems. The political caste does not dare ask the rich to pay up. The bureaucrats are unable to privatise unprofitable public-sector enterprises, the tax administration is inefficient and corrupt. More euros will not help, but only further reward inability and unwillingness. The IMF is pulling the emergency brake. This will make it easier for handout-countries like Germany and the rest of the EU to say: Acropolis adieu, time for you to go!” (23/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economy, » Germany, » Greece
All available articles from » Hugo Müller-Vogg
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

In a TV interview the German Vice Chancellor and Minister for the Economy Philipp Rösler explained there would be no more financial aid to Greece if it did not fulfill its obligations. Rösler is putting Greece out of its misery, according to the left-liberal daily La Repubblica: "Hawks can become vultures, intransigence can be a death blow. And this is exactly what happened yesterday. The German Minister for the Economy Philipp Rösler confirmed and strengthened rumours about Greece's impending exit from the monetary union. ... His comments segue with stories in the press [Der Spiegel magazine] about the alleged plans of the IMF to stop giving money to Athens. The words of the German minister are speeding up Greece's death throes. But the troika is not meeting in Athens to assess the situation until tomorrow. ... Perhaps Rösler only wanted to step into the tug of war between Athens and Brussels about extending the deadline for fulfilling its conditions. His words are certainly going to help eject Greece from the monetary union and cut the first sod for the grave that is being dug for the euro." (23/07/2012)

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All available articles from » Andrea Bonanni
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

Following a report in the German magazine Spiegel about the IMF stopping its payments and the pessimistic comments on the Greek reform programme made by Germany's Economics Minister Philipp Rösler in a televised interview, the conservative business paper Naftemporiki calls for Germany to adopt a clear stance on whether Greece should leave the Eurozone: "It's no good if Merkel keeps saying she wants to keep Greece in the Eurozone while she and her ministers create a climate that puts a question mark over a Greek Eurozone exit. Even if Greece had a fully developed plan for the privatisations (the lenders are pushing for), no serious investor would spend a single euro were he being told that Greece was on its way out of the Eurozone. The Eurozone's 'in or out' game must end as soon as possible, because otherwise the Greek people will continue to suffer without any hope for the future. No Greek government, however good, can make any progress whatsoever when the most important partner, Germany, is undermining all its efforts." (23/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economy, » Germany, » Greece
All available articles from » Nikos Bellos
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

On Saturday Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the NGO law that has been the subject of fierce international criticism. The left-liberal daily El País is outraged: "Only two months after Vladimir Putin assumed presidential office in his country for the third time, he has already broken his campaign promises and reversed the course of his loyal predecessor Dmitry Medvedev, which was cautiously pushing to open up the country. The obedient Russian parliament has ensured all the necessary laws have been passed to quash anti-government protests and curtail political freedom. The Internet is controlled by a black list of 'detrimental' websites, insulting [the authorities] has been outlawed again and non-governmental organisations are now being criminalised. The NGO law which was drafted by the Duma and signed by Putin on Saturday rules that such organisations are 'foreign agents' as soon as they receive money from abroad, and forces them onto the margins of legality." (23/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Human rights, » Russia

The French UN representative accused Russia on Thursday of being an accessory to the Assad regime. But the contract for the delivery of ultra-modern war ships to Moscow, which still holds, shows that the French government has not acted on its word, admonishes Vincent Jauvert in his blog Affaires étrangères in Le Nouvel Observateur magazine: "This realpolitik is obviously linked to domestic policy. The contract with Russia secures thousands of jobs for four years at the STX shipyard [in Saint-Nazaire]. ... It is not clear whether an annulment of the contract - or its suspension - would change Putin's policy on Syria. Is it worth putting thousands of jobs on the line? In the midst of the financial crisis this is no easy question. Jacques Chirac said 'no' to the war in Iraq in the face of US threats of economic repression. His symbolic gesture did not prevent the invasion, but the world still remembers it ten years on." (21/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Crises / War, » Labour market, » France, » Russia, » Syria
All available articles from » Vincent Jauvert
Who's saying what » Civil war raging in Syria

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights on Friday presented to the UN for review a Polish law  that seeks to restrict the freedom of assembly. This is a dangerous trend, warns the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza: "On the quiet and in tiny steps our government and parliament are changing the Polish [political] system. And each time there is some rational reason for the new surveillance methods and reprisals. Often these seem logical and even sensible in individual cases. But the trend is ominous. Because it shows that the Polish liberal democracy, which was created in 1989, is gradually being turned into a repressive democracy. ... A quarter of a century after the collapse of the [communist] system, we have forgotten why it needed to be brought down." (23/07/2012)

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All available articles from » Jacek Żakowski

The Lithuanian parliament voted on July 16 to hold a non-binding consultative referendum on the construction of a nuclear power station together with the parliamentary elections in October. However the parliament had already given the project the green light at the end of June. Journalist Artūras Račas announces in the weekly 15min that under no circumstances will he take part in the referendum: "When I go to the polling station I won't touch the ballot paper or fill it in. The reason for this is quite simple: what is due to take place on October 14 together with the parliamentary election has nothing to do with politics or democracy or government administration. It's just a farce. … We are being asked to give an opinion on something even though we know that it won't be taken into account. The decisions were made long ago. They were taken by MPs who later voted in favour of holding the referendum. To advise these politicians through a referendum is as pointless as explaining the dangers of cirrhosis of the liver to an alcoholic in a post-intoxicated state." (20/07/2012)

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All available articles from » Arturas Racas

Germany's leading role in the euro crisis is provoking resentment in other EU countries. This raises the question of whether the country wants to maintain its role in the event that the deeper EU integration German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for actually comes about, Eric Gujer writes in the liberal-conservative Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "The thankless task of watchdog will almost automatically fall to Germany; only it has the necessary economic and political clout. The new question for Germany is therefore also whether Berlin really wants to be forced into the role of headmaster, constantly admonishing partners who live beyond their means and putting them under pressure. The future structure of the EU depends on the far-sightedness of Germany policy: whether it becomes a robust entity based on nation states in which each member assumes responsibility for itself, or a supranational construction that requires constant supervision by a supreme power. The second option can't be in Germany's interest because disciplinarians may be necessary, but they're also unpopular." (21/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Economic Policy, » Germany, » Europe
All available articles from » Eric Gujer
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

The World Aids Conference opened in Washington on Sunday. Aids could be the first epidemic disease to be identified, fought and stamped out within one generation, the left-liberal daily Libération hopes - but only if the fight is shielded from austerity measures: "Unlike other diseases, Aids has - perhaps because it affects both poor and wealthy countries, perhaps because it is linked to sexuality - mobilised the world on an unprecedented scale. ... Under the pressure of activists in the rich northern countries, and homosexual organisations in particular, laboratories have accepted a drop in the prices for providing treatment in poor countries. ... Specialists are even talking about a possible end to the epidemic. But the fight is not over yet. The financial crisis continues and international aid, the backbone of continued progress, is the first victim of cost-cutting policies. These cutbacks are criminal. Now is the time for the world to step up and triumph over Aids." (20/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Health and Medicine, » Economy, » Global
All available articles from » François Sergent

Norway commemorated the victims of the killings of 22 July 2011 on the weekend. Sentence is due to be passed on self-confessed mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik in August. The liberal daily Dagens Nyheter praises the Norwegian court which is holding the Brevik trial: "If there is one participant who has held up the flag all along, it's the court - and not least the public prosecutor duo. There was much talk of the 'Breivik circus', of how he would reach a huge audience with his enormous media presence and how that was precisely what he wanted. But there has been no circus. There was a trial that naturally attracted a lot of media attention. And yes, he was allowed to speak, because anyone who is standing trial has that right. Perhaps Breivik has achieved his goal. But the rule of law also achieved its goal in this case. And we can't sacrifice the rule of law just to prevent Breivik from getting what he wants." (22/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Ethics, » Justice, » Society, » Norway
All available articles from » Hanne Kjöller
Who's saying what » Consequences of an attack

Sunday marked the one year anniversary of Anders Behring Breivik's killing spree which left 77 dead in Norway. The conservative daily Večer marked the occasion with an article linking mass murderers like Breivik to the society around them: "It would be extremely dangerous to give precedence to the psychiatric-psychological dimension and disconnect mass murderers from the radicalized social environment. An environment which is increasingly driven by fear, which is propagated by crisis managers in politics and elsewhere. It is the explosive cocktail of financial-economic crashes and political fanaticism that reopens the cesspit of nationalism and breeds Breivik and his kind. Breivik did not attack the workers' party of modern Norway [at whose summer camp on the island of Utøya he killed 69 people]. His was an attack on 21st century Europe. Through him Europe looks its most blood-thirsty, xenophobic legacy in the eye." (23/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Weltanschauung, » Crime, » Justice, » Society, » Norway
All available articles from » Matija Stepisnik

A man killed twelve people and injured dozens more in a cinema in the US town of Aurora on Friday. Although the shooting spree took place during the premiere of the latest Batman movie, the film itself is not the reason for the violent attack, Rob Vreeken argues in the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant: "The causal relationship is actually the other way around. Most violence in films is inspired by previous acts of violence committed by real people. First came the invasion in Normandy, then came Saving Private Ryan. Not the other way around. The Buffalo Bill film only came after the North American Indians fell victim to genocide. I dare to predict that the crazy attack by James Eagan Homes [the 24-year-old suspected of firing the shots] will lead to a Hollywood production we'll call Straight Shooting II for simplicity's sake for now. I also dare to predict that we'll all go and watch it and leave the cinema trembling with excitement. And we have no one but ourselves to blame." (23/07/2012)

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All available articles from » Rob Vreeken

Bradley Wiggins' Tour de France triumph on Sunday fills the conservative daily The Times with pride, because Wiggins is the first ever British winner in the race's 109 year history. "Not only has an Englishman won the Tour de France, the greatest of all bike races, for the first time ever. More than that, Bradley Wiggins and his Sky team have achieved this historic victory with a display of dedicated professionalism - ferociously hard work combined with the most scientifically advanced training methods - such as has rarely been seen in any sport. As if that weren't enough, Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome and their colleagues have given another display, of sportsmanship, loyalty and chivalry that has melted French hearts." (22/07/2012)

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All available articles from » Geoffrey Wheatcroft