The protest against Russia's President Putin may be understandable but holy places should not be desecrated, warns Piotr Skwieciński in the conservative daily Rzeczpospolita, commenting on the performance by the Russian punk band Pussy Riot: "The feminists of Pussy Riot, whose trial has now begun in Moscow, have become icons of the Russian freedom movement. Putin's opponents the world over are declaring solidarity with them. I can understand this perfectly. And in my opinion an unconditional prison sentence would be unacceptable. But I have my doubts as to whether it is right to identify completely with the detained women who staged such a happening, as many observers have demanded. These girls are without doubt courageous opponents of an authoritarian government. But it's obvious that they desecrated a religious site in their battle against the regime. … Their main intentions were clearly political and democratic. But the form their protest took demonstrates a lack of respect for religion." (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Crime, » Russia
All available articles from » Piotr Skwieciński

The trial against punk band Pussy Riot shows how nervous the Russian government is after the wave of demonstrations prompted by the elections in the winter and spring, according to the left-liberal Tagesspiegel: "The overreaction by the state demonstrates the uncertainty of the Russian leadership, Putin's fear of his own people. Deterring the citizens with muscle flexing and show trials is an old Soviet tactic. It doesn't work in today's Russia. The state's irrational behaviour has turned the women of Pussy Riot into symbolic figures of international fame. ... Suddenly they are martyrs of an opposition movement to which they never really belonged. Had state and church reacted less hysterically, as they did with the performance [of Pussy Riot] on Red Square [in January], no one would be talking about it anymore. But now the trial is further alienating the citizens from the state." (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Justice, » Russia
All available articles from » Claudia von Salzen

Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the trial against punk bank Pussy Riot to demonstrate unity with the Orthodox Church, writes the liberal-conservative daily Die Presse: "The trial is so important for Putin because the women's performance shook both Church and secular power. Pussy Riot are not the first to be punished: in the case of the Watch Out, Religion! exhibition … the organisers were charged with 'inciting religious hatred'. The principal defendant got off with detention but had to pay a hefty fine. Some observers talk of a show trial; the artists were paraded before the public as enemies of Russia. In recompense the Orthodox Church has always acted loyally towards the man who was president then and now. Only last February the Russian Patriarch Cyril described the peaceful cohabitation between Church and state as a 'miracle of God'. And that's the way it's supposed to stay."  (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Music, » Religion, » Russia
All available articles from » Jutta Sommerbauer

The adherents of the Orthodox Church are mistaken if they believe they have won a victory with the trial against punk bank Pussy Riot, the left-liberal daily Delo comments: "Their victims are being burnt at the stake like witches in the Middle Ages. The three women of Pussy Riot have apparently been taught a lesson. … The followers of the Orthodox Church believe they have already won a moral victory. All that is young and courageous will soon rot in jail. The Orthodox Church and its legionnaires are however very mistaken if they really believe this. It is not the young members of Pussy Riot who are in the pillory in a glass cell in the centre of Moscow, but the leaders of the Church and the secular power. And this is the moral of the whole story. Russia has long since become a Golgotha for its sons and daughters."  (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Weltanschauung, » Justice, » Russia
All available articles from » Polona Frelih

The suspended Romanian president Traian Băsescu can return to office after an insufficient number of voters turned out at the referendum to oust him. Hungarians living in Romania were conspicuous by their absence at the polls. But Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced that Băsescu was washed-up politically because some 88 percent of votes went against him. The daily Gândul is puzzled by Ponta's statement: "Ponta of all people seems to have lost touch with reality in Romania. It is untrue and certainly no way to behave to blame the Hungarians for scuppering the ballot. Everyone knew the rules from the start: the referendum would only count with a 50 percent turnout. But only 46 percent voted. So the 'blame' lies with the [left-liberal coalition] USL: either they were not credible enough or they weren't up to more, or the Romanians - regardless of ethnic background - wanted to send them a signal. ... The USL does not understand that the majority of Romanians has lost faith in the politicians and has no interest in their in-fighting. They don't understand the message that people are disappointed in Băsescu and his arrogance, but to the same extent or perhaps even more, they are shocked about politics of the USL." (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Minorities, » Elections, » Hungary, » Romania
All available articles from » Marian Sultănoiu
Who's saying what » Power struggle in Romania

Commenting on the power struggle between the government and the president in Bucharest the liberal daily Tages-Anzeiger argues that the EU shares some of the responsibility for Romania's democratic deficit: "Investments in the rule of law, education and civil society in the new member states are not a priority for the EU Commission. Money from Brussels goes primarily towards expanding infrastructure. But that is where corruption is most rampant. Billions disappear into the pockets of mayors and construction firms. Western managers are also responsible for this pitiful situation. Anyone who believes that when Austrian or German companies bought up Romanian energy companies and banks no bribes were paid is extremely naïve. As long as profits were right this was not a problem. Not for the EU, either. In this way the West created a 'classe politique' in the new member states that in its boundless arrogance now believes it is above the rules. It will be difficult to get rid of now." (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Elections, » Romania
All available articles from » Bernhard Odehnal
Who's saying what » Power struggle in Romania

In view of the ongoing conflict in Syria UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday warned of the danger of a religiously motivated civil war spreading and posing a serious threat to neighbouring countries. The West needs to prevent this wildfire with a plan for the time after Assad's fall, the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera writes: "The Sunnis of al-Qaeda make no secret of their intentions: they want to help free Syria of Assad to establish a broad Islamist and jihad front that includes both Iraq and Syria. According to reliable sources, the operation is already underway, which is why Russia should be heeded when it warns of the advance of Islamist terrorists or the possibility of the country being divided and the rise of an Islamist mini-state in Syria. … The terrible war could be followed by a wildfire in the region if Assad's fall coincides with the failure of the West (and Russia) to control the geopolitical consequences and the new players."  (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Crises / War, » Middle East, » Syria
All available articles from » Franco Venturini
Who's saying what » Civil war raging in Syria

The criticism levelled by Euro Group boss Jean-Claude Juncker against Berlin's conduct in the euro crisis has provoked a series of fierce counterattacks among the ruling coalition in Germany. This is a dangerous dispute that will only increase doubts about the euro, the business paper Jornal de Negócios warns. "Juncker accused Germany of treating the Eurozone as its subsidiary. … The response was not long in coming: Christian social CSU secretary general Alexander Dobrindt described the remark as the height of impertinence. … His party colleague Hans Michelbach criticised ECB chief Draghi, who announced that he would do whatever was necessary to save the euro. … This barrage of public nonsense points to a dangerous trend in the Euro Group. It is reigniting old animosities that the EU project is there to prevent. … The Germans must finally understand that the euro is a now political project, not just a monetary one: the survival of Europe depends upon it. … As things stand now distrust of the euro is only being spurred, and with it the collapse of the EU's economy." (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Germany, » Europe
All available articles from » Camilo Lourenço
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis, » The row over debt mutualisation

The Greek government on Monday announced spending cuts of more than 11.5 billion euros for the coming two years. The cuts will affect public healthcare again. One measure under consideration is that health insurance policy holders be made to pay 10 euros for each visit to the doctor once annual costs for their visits to doctors exceed 1,500 euros. A nightmare scenario for cash-strapped patients, the conservative daily Kathimerini writes: "This measure is primarily envisaged for healthy people who haven't had an accident and aren't seriously ill. But have all of them signed a contract with fate? … The measure undermines the social welfare state. It doesn't deal with the wasteful and corrupt state and it doesn't tackle thieves and liars. No, it contradicts any sense of justice as well as the right to life and care. … Life would no longer be a right but would depend on the patient's economic situation. And this situation, too, is part of the definition of a failed state." (29/07/2012)

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

Bulgaria's socialist BSP party on Friday presented the 770,000 signatures needed to revive the Belene nuclear power plant project in parliament. It can now initiate a referendum on the controversial project which the conservative government had shelved in March due to lack of funding. But Bulgaria still can't afford the nuclear plant, the daily newspaper Standard points out: "Holding a referendum on Belene would be like daddy asking 'Do you want a new bicycle?'. Who doesn't? We also want Bulgaria to send satellites and spaceships into space, something we could be proud of. … The only way to counter the Bulgarians' long cherished desire for a nuclear power plant is to fuel fears of an accident like those in Chernobyl or Fukushima. Yet the most important question is whether we can afford a nuclear power plant when we take into account that Bulgaria is desperately seeking loans on the financial markets just to get by. And considering the current state of its finances, it doesn't look like we'll be back in the black any time soon." (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Economy, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Ruslan Yordanov

Latvia is planning an amnesty for companies that have not paid taxes. The financial paper Dienas Bizness warns that this puts law-abiding companies at a disadvantage: "Care should be taken to ensure that amnesty is given primarily to companies that have landed in financial difficulties, and not those that have deliberately avoided paying taxes. ... And it should be used as a one-off measure and not allowed to become routine practice. Otherwise it will lead to a new problem. Dishonest businesses will reckon with paying no taxes for a while knowing that nothing will happen to them. In this way the initiative will benefit precisely those companies that deliberately paid no taxes for years. The losers will be those who at least tried to pay their tax debts. But even as a one-off measure it is the black sheep who stand to benefit most." (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Economy, » Latvia

France's new Minister for Women Najat Vallaud-Belkacem has been campaigning for a ban on prostitution for several weeks now. The idea builds on an initiative launched by the preceding conservative government under Nicolas Sarkozy. To deny women and men the right to do as they wish with their own bodies and the fruits of their labour is the first step towards totalitarianism, warns Alain Cohen-Dumouchel in his blog at the news portal Rue89: "A democratic state can easily become totalitarian if it imposes excessive restrictions on the private lives of its citizens, if it makes key life decisions on their behalf, if it passes judgement on things that happen on the margins of society. ... The greatness of a liberal democracy consists in securing the rights of all ethnic, religious and sexual minorities and of those whose behaviour is not liked by the majority. The state should not make an offence out of that which the majority regards as a vice. Prostitution is a matter for consenting adults who are not infringing on the rights of their fellow citizens." (30/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Human rights, » Crime, » Justice, » France
All available articles from » Alain Cohen-Dumouchel

According to an internal paper published on Sunday, Dutch health insurance companies no longer want to pay for expensive medication for rare and incurable diseases, on the grounds that they prolong the lives of patients only for a short time. A cynical calculation, cautions the liberal daily NRC Handelsblad: "These are cold numbers, and this is a harsh conclusion. But they point to a difficult emotional debate, which is unavoidable. Essentially it revolves around the question of how much we value human life and its quality. How much is society prepared to pay out in premiums and taxes for expensive treatments of rare diseases? The same goes for treatment of incurable diseases which only prolongs or improves life to a minimal extent. The explosive rise in the cost of healthcare has to be stopped one way or another. ... But it would probably make more sense to cut excessive consumption of medication than to cut back on therapies for rare diseases." (31/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Health Policy, » Ethics, » Society, » Netherlands

The 15-year-old Rūta Meilutytė made sporting history on Monday in London when she won the first gold medal for Lithuania in the 100 meter breaststroke. But it's not her homeland who is to thank for the victory, emphasises the portal Balsas: "Rūta Meilutytė lives and trains in Plymouth in the west of England. An emigrant who is proud to represent Lithuania. In the moment of her victory we must concede that emigrants are not only supporting Lithuania financially but also represent its dignity and honour on the international stage ... Now countless Lithuanian politicians will be rushing to be photographed with the young athletic champion, to shake her hand and show off as if they had won the medal themselves - but these are the very same politicians who were in power when Rūta Meilutytė had to leave her country. ... It is not thanks to them that Rūta Meilutytė won an Olympic gold for Lithuania. And by the way, the Olympic Games are not taking place just anywhere, but in East London, the part of the British capital where the majority of Lithuanians live." (31/07/2012)

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All available articles from » Šarūnas Navickis