Knut Krohn comments that Tymoshenko only won the election the third time around, and with a very slim majority. "The coalition of the 'Tymoshenko Block' and the presidential party, 'Our Ukraine,' is extremely fragile, resting on a majority of only two votes after the parliamentary election of 30 September... The depth of the gap between the two parties was already obvious during the coalition talks, which were overshadowed by serious tensions. Repeatedly, President Viktor Yushchenko pushed to include Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's 'Party of Regions,' whose 175 seats make it the strongest parliamentary fraction, in a kind of grand coalition... But the president's goal was doubtless also to minimize Tymoshenko's influence within the government. And in the end she assiduously refused to make any pacts with Yanukovych." (19/12/2007)

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The daily considers that "Ms Tymoshenko will struggle to retain power. She and Mr Yushchenko must create a better relationship. The two, who were briefly united in the 2004 Orange Revolution, fell out soon afterwards ... . The policy differences between Mr Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko have narrowed since 2005. The prime minister has moved closer to the president's west-oriented agenda, including integration with the European Union and Nato. She has tempered her assaults on business, yet is still determined to fight corruption. ... The economic priorities should be reducing corruption, cutting red tape, completing privatisation and reforming the murky energy sector. World Trade Organisation accession, long Mr Yushchenko's top economic aim, must now go ahead. Although the economy is growing fast, Ukraine has no time to waste. Widespread poverty, poor infrastructure and inadequate public services all need urgent attention." (19/12/2007)

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With the election of Yulia Tymoshenko, everyone in Ukraine must learn to make compromises, suggests Reinhard Meier. "But especially President Yushchenko, who tends toward hesitancy, must decide to cooperate and overcome his personal animosity against the populist Tymoshenko, if the new orange government is to have a fair chance of accomplishing anything. Generally, Yulia Tymoshenko has better political cards for the future than does her orange partner and opponent in the government: By the time the next presidential elections roll around in the end of 2008, she ought to have a good chance of reaching the top position in the government – even if her career as prime minister is short-lived this time, too... But that is pure speculation about the future. All we know for sure is that Ukraine today is far more pluralistic and more open than its large neighbour to the east, Russia, in its election of grass-roots representatives as well as top officials." (19/12/2007)

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Peter Morvay notes the problems facing the new Ukrainian prime minister: "The economic crisis in the country has deepened since her first stint in the government. It is questionable whether Yulia Tymoshenko of all people can do something about the persistent corruption linked to privatisation. She is no innocent lamb herself in this area. Aside from that, there are still centrifugal tendencies in eastern Ukraine, which feels closer to Moscow than to Kiev. And Moscow will see to it that its strategically important neighbour does not ask for membership in NATO. The outcome of the battle for Ukraine can be determined through the behaviour of the West. The West must be clear that the current Ukrainian administration, in spite of everything, is the best solution." (19/12/2007)

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"God is dangerous," writes sociologist Ulrich Beck in a pre-Christmas essay, in which he presents five theses on why the humanism of religion disguises an essential totalitarianism: "Religion is by nature absolute: its core is faith. All other social differences and contradictions are unimportant by comparison. The New Testament says: 'All are equal in the eyes of God.' This equality, this rejection of boundaries that separate people, groups, societies and cultures, is the societal foundation of (Christian) religions. But the result is that the very same absolutism that abolishes social and political differences establishes a new fundamentalism and hierarchy in the world: the one between believers versus non-believers." (19/12/2007)

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Estonian journalist and commentator Vilja Kiisler criticizes the narrow worldview of proponents of western values: "The modern westerner is usually Christian or non-religious; to him, all other faiths are marginal. The enlightened westerner may well behave with tolerance towards members of other religious communities. But non-Christians are always viewed as 'the others.' It's not spoken aloud, because that would be impolite and not politically correct. Not only that: the modern westerner also considers small countries and their representatives as mere fringe phenomena; for them, the only ones who count are citizens and representatives of big countries." (19/12/2007)

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After a six-month crisis, the outgoing Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt managed on Tuesday, December 18th, to form an interim government responsible for treating urgent matters. Yves Leterme, winner of the elections held last June 10h, will take over as head of the definitive government on March 23, 2008. "Finally, common sense has triumphed ", sighs the editorialist Michel Konen with relief. "Guy Verhofstadt has had to listen to, integrate and imagine solutions. This is the domain he excels in. Naturally, the solution that has been found to get out of this crisis is so Belgian that it defies analysis by the most informed of political scientists. This is 'ex nihilo' as the learned say, i.e. something never before seen in the political history of the country." (19/12/2007)

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"Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis's visit to Russia and the signing of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline deal mark the final step in Greece's lengthy diplomatic drive", writes the daily. "This effort began under Constantine Karamanlis (during the trying Cold War years, what's more), was continued by PASOK and is now finally bearing fruit. Greece belonged and will continue to belong to the West, but it is located at that – beneficial to our interests – crossroads that allows it to form a bridge to the East. We should take full advantage of this geo-economic edge and consider the fact that every political party has applied this strategy as praiseworthy. ... Greece now finds itself in a position to become a Southeast European energy hub. This possibility has been secured during Costas Karamanlis's visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin." (19/12/2007)

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"The approbation on December 18th by the UN General Assembly of a resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty is a great victory for Europe and especially Italy with its Minister of Foreign Affairs [Massimo d'Alema] having exercised diplomacy efficiently and intelligently in New York", considers Antonio Cassese, professor of law at the University of Florence. "With this resolution, an important point in the battle for civilisation has been scored. The resolution does not oblige countries to suspend capital punishment or abrogate current laws; it exhorts them to do so. Is it then only symbolic? ... Not at all. In the first place, it gives a political argument to numerous governments who would like to apply the moratorium, but find themselves confronted by public opinion and political-religious pressure groups." (19/12/2007)

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The European Court of Justice has decided that trade unions may not force companies from another EU country to pay local wages. The court referred to a case in the Swedish town of Vaxholm, where a Latvian contractor paid employees the lower Latvian wages. In response, Swedish trade unions blocked all the firm's construction projects. The newspaper welcomes the new ruling: "The standard of living and salaries in Latvia are rising, as they are in other EU countries. Against this background, social dumping is less likely to occur. Liberality benefits everyone in the EU domestic market: In the not too distant future, it won't only be Latvians who compete for jobs in Sweden, but also Swedes in Latvia and elsewhere in the new EU countries." (19/12/2007)

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The Spanish ministers of culture and of industry agreed on Tuesday, December18th to tax hardware that allows the downloading and stocking of digital contents, including mobile phones, MP3s and USB keys. The daily deplores "the generalised application of this tax, which not only assumes that all citizens download films, music and phone-rings, but also that the vast majority is involved in pirating on a daily basis. ... Formulas need to be found that don't increase the prices of technological products and block our adaptation to an information society. It is also necessary to avoid using this tax as an excuse to consider that private copying, pirating and copyright infringement are now justified." (19/12/2007)

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Art critic Paul Arendt notes that museums are busier than ever during the holiday season and wonders how many people are actually looking at the art. "National museums and art galleries are under greater pressure than ever from the government to generate their own income, and the need to focus on retail has produced some imaginative ideas. Products are often created in collaboration with artists; at their best (or worst, depending on your point of view), they blur the line between the shop and the gallery it serves. Selling everything from Rokeby Venus washbags to Canaletto ties, Andy Warhol oven gloves to Van Gogh earrings, the gallery shop is where the endless romance between art and commerce is joyfully (and affordably) consummated. ... But the most consistent sellers everywhere are the books and the good old-fashioned exhibition catalogues - a reassuring reminder that people do still go to galleries to look at the pictures." (19/12/2007)

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There is talk of bringing back the Romanian monarchy. Ioan Vianu looks back at 30 December 1947, the day when Romania's communist regime forced Romanian King Michael I to abdicate. "I was a teenager and I remember a deep sadness that gripped the entire country, as if we had all lost a close relative. The communists may have controlled all avenues of power, but the forced abdication of the monarch gave us the feeling of having been abandoned. These days, an appeal for reestablishment of the monarchy has been circulating, and prominent personalities have signed it. Their motivations are surely honourable, but only a parliamentary system can ensure the country's proper development. But for that you need a 'clean' parliament, and that's exactly what we're lacking. If our elections don't accomplish that, with or without a king, we are done for, and the legislators with us." (19/12/2007)

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Tim Dowling of The Guardian in London describes the contribution of Polish immigrants to Christmas in the UK. "Poles are bringing a new Christmas spirit to Great Britain. Our children are learning Polish carols in school, and long before Christmas you can get a whiff of the sweet gingerbread baking in their ovens. Consumption of Polish food alone is up 500 percent!... So the British, who have had enough of their heavy plum pudding, are discovering new taste sensations. Curious, they snatch up Polish delicacies like the carp that has become a symbol of a Polish Christmas for the British. You can find carp recipes in magazines. It may well prompt some of the British readers to try out this 'odd' specialty." (19/12/2007)

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Baltasar Porcel does not share the joy of his compatriots concerning the nomination of Filipe Gonzalez, former Spanish socialist Prime Minister (1982-1996), as head of the EU think tank. "Felipe Gonzalez [has many] political qualities, but they don't seem useful in the context of a committee. This committee needs to study and provide advice on issues such as global warming, education, globalisation, fields about which Gonzalez does not necessarily know much. He is the opposite of someone like Al Gore, who displayed his deep and long-term preoccupation with these themes through a book, a film, articles and conferences. ... He [Porcel] didn't manage to resolve the issue of ETA terrorism in Spain. ... And what will he do with the complex problem of minorities, with the red-hot topic of Kosovo on top of the agenda, while we are still tearing ourselves apart over the Basque and Catalan problems." (19/12/2007)

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