Croatian correspondent Rok Kajzer points out that Croatia theoretically could already be a EU member by the time the new government's current legislative period runs out in 2012. But he laments that Zagreb has not turned out to be a model EU pupil so far. "Witness the difficulties with opening and closing the phases of negotiations. The EU recently admonished Croatia over its 'prestigious' human rights chapter. Due to lack of preparation on the part of Croatia, this chapter has not yet been opened. This is one result of Croatia's mistaken conviction that the negotiations are merely a formality, and that it is enough to promise reforms and a war on corruption." (14/01/2008)

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Karl-Peter Schwarz has concerns about that the stability of the new government under Ivo Sanader, despite the solid conservative majority. "Unlike in the past legislative period, which was dominated by pro-European forces in the government, Sanader now has to take coalition partners into consideration whose prime concern is protecting the interest of their clientele. The Croatian Peasant Party has pursued a thoroughly protectionist course for years. It was already able to introduce one of its main demands, a 12-year moratorium on sale of agricultural lands to foreigners, into the government programme, which might not be exactly favourable to the image of Croatia in the EU. But in particular the party calls for the unfailing enforcement of the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ) enacted on January 1. Prospects for a speedy and uncomplicated EU-entry process for Croatia have worsened dramatically." (14/01/2008)

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The Lisbon daily comments on the election of Slobodan Uzelac as vice prime minister. A member of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS), he will be the first ethnic Serb in a Croatian government since the war. "[This] reveals a desire for reconciliation between the two communities. This was unthinkable not so long ago. Let us recall the facts: between 1991 and 1995, the Serb minority (12% of the population) proclaimed its own republic, going as far as occupying one third of the territory. When they were defeated, 280,000 Serbs fled to Serbia and Bosnia. Only 103,000 of them ever returned. The return of refugees and the restitution of their property is, precisely, one of the main conditions imposed on Zagreb for EU accession. Uzelac's entry into government needs to be seen in this context. It is of course a condition [of the EU], but at the same time it represents a desire: a desire to soothe bloody war wounds and the hostilities between communities who wanted to be separated by force and who now wish to find themselves together again, in the protective shadow of the EU." (13/01/2008)

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Interviewed by Marie Lechner, Geert Lovink, a Dutch media analyst and Internet critic, warns against certain disadvantages of Web 2.0. "The quantity of personal data that a company like Google collects on us is without precedent. ... Internet is a public digital domain in which our data is stocked. It should be neither the property of States, nor that of companies. This is not as utopian as it may seem. This could have already been achieved by international organisations such as UNESCO. Unfortunately these organisations have become out-dated bureaucracies, as we were able to observe during the 2003 and 2005 World Summit of the Information Society [SMSI]. What we need is a strong and open European alternative to Google, a framework for decentralised knowledge, like Wikipedia, that works for the benefit of the public." (12/01/2008)

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The journalist Katherine McElroy responds to an article (published on December 23rd) entitled ''Europe: creating an imagined geography' by Stefanos Evripidou. "Basically, he's saying that this shared identity is a joke. ... This kind of 'imagined geography', we are told, can be used as a tool of power to control and subordinate the subjects of that space as well as dictate behaviour to those outside that imagined space. Well, every nation controls space, though not all nations subordinate their subjects. And every border affects those outside it. ... But Europe (or anywhere else for that matter) isn't an identity-less, geography-less, history-less, free-for-all. Far from being some kind of meaningless place, most Europeans want it. What they don't entirely agree on is on issues that impinge on their own individual identities. The larger issues do not appear to be in question." (13/01/2008)

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Certain representatives of the Spanish Church are severely critical of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's government because of its decisions in matters of education or civil rights (gay marriage, etc. ). For the columnist José María Ridao, their strategy is to pose as victims in order to gain weight on the political scene. "This is why they have suddenly decided to describe the situation in Spain as a surreal battle field on which the government is waging a war against family, by using laws, despite these having been promulgated for decades. The reason this crusade had not been previously launched against governments they felt closer to is that family life is merely the alibi that can help them obtain what really counts for them: politics at the service of faith." (14/01/2008)

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Freedom Party [FPÖ] candidate Susanne Winter has raised concerns just before the communal elections in Graz. She announced on the weekend that the Prophet Muhammad was a "child molester" by today's standards, a "general" who wrote the Koran while suffering from "epileptic seizures." Walter Müller criticizes the Social Democrats and Conservatives for failing to solve the social problems that fuel her position: "The city of Graz had enough time. Everyone in City Hall has known for years that parallel societies are developing in the working-class areas of Gries or Lend – and in schools, too. Graz is not so large; it could have long ago become a laboratory for testing integration programs for all Austria. ... They missed the chance to be a model city. ... And now, in this area neglected by the SPÖ [Social Democratic] and ÖVP [People's Party], both the BZÖ [Alliance for the Future of Austria] and FPÖ are scrambling for votes with increasingly radical slogans and the acceptance of a split in society. The ÖVP and SPÖ are helpless in face of this political arson. They have failed in the realm of municipal policy, and now are reduced to expressing moral outrage." (14/01/2008)

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Finland's year at the helm of the OSCE began January 1. Relations with Russia are of prime importance, suggests the Finnish paper: "Finland's attention, and that of the entire organization, will be turned toward the Russian presidential election in March, especially since there was no success in getting election observers there as intended for the Duma election.... Finland has meanwhile been informed that its observers may well be able to remain longer during the presidential elections - something which OSCE principles suggest should not be a novelty, but rather taken for granted. Other issues that come to the fore during Finland's leadership of the OSCE are the Kosovo problem as well as the question of South Ossetia, which is part of Georgia. Moscow has a keen interest in both regions." (14/01/2008)

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Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass on January 13th with his back turned to his congregation, an old tradition that had not been practised for decades. Marco Politi, a Vatican specialist, is concerned about this return to tradition. "Three years after his election, the Pope has realised his historical dream: to celebrate mass facing the alter, turning his back to the faithful, like the shepherd guiding his flock to Jesus Christ. The location is symbolic: the Sistine Chapel, where Benedict XVI was elected. It is from there that the German pope is sending out his counter reform signal. Granted, this is only a gesture, but the history of the Church is made up of gestures, signs and symbols. And when Joseph Ratzinger solemnly held the host up to the crucifix above the marble alter ... everyone understood. The pontiff will not be straying from path he has chosen to see the application of the [liturgical reform] Vatican II". (14/01/2008)

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Hendrik Werner takes a critical look at the new Wikia Search browser that Jimmy Wales inaugurated last week as a competition to Google. "As with his online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, Wales is expecting Wikia Search users to carry out positive and negative evaluations, our of pure enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge, in order to assert their influence on the ranking order of the resulting lists. This is an expectation that ignores the massive number of individual interests among users, who will naturally give their own website the best notes, in order to get a top ranking in the index. … The Wikia Search project, promoted with inflated slogans, is also questionable because Jimmy Wales is not avoiding commercial interest in this case – unlike with the renowned Wikipedia, which carefully guards against the stink of a being a cash cow. Maybe he can't avoid it any longer. This Google competitor is to survive on advertising, for the time being." (14/01/2008)

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The columnist Pol Mathil considers threats that have been made to cancel a London exhibition of works of art from Russia's national collection. 'From Russia' is due to open at the Royal Academy of Arts on January 26th. Russia hesitated a lot before sending paintings to the U.K., because of claims from descendants of families who were looted in the 1917 revolution. "The affair goes beyond the context of the exhibition. Culture is becoming an important and sometimes controversial element of international relations. ... Often between neighbours, litigation over cultural treasures always waits for political and judicial solutions as well as, most difficult, historical ones. ... On account of these 'last prisoners of war', each party creates its own 'political and historical truth'." (14/01/2008)

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Visitors to Swedish museums have had to pay an entry fee again since 2007. Per Gudmundson reports that the number of visitors to museums dropped drastically last year, but meanwhile a lively gallery scene has developed in the Vasastan section of Stockholm. "Anyone worried about the sinking number of visitors to, for example, the Modern Museum has overlooked the fact that at the same time there are many artistic activities in commercial areas. In Vasastan, those involved are spurring one another on to such an extent that one can hardly speak of endangered art." (13/01/2008)

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"After the murder of his friend and collaborator Theo van Gogh, comedian Hans Teeuwen inherited the title of Holland's defender-in-chief of free speech" writes Brian Logan who informs us that Hans Teeuwen performs at the Soho Theatre, London, 18/1 to 2/2. "Since van Gogh's killing, Holland's best-loved comedian has not performed comedy in his home country. Nor will he do so again. He denies this is in protest at the murder, claiming simply to be seeking new challenges - such as launching an English-speaking stand-up career. ... The attempt by powerful elites within Islam to silence their critics is what Teeuwen objects to. For him, free speech is non-negotiable - and is a responsibility as well as a right. Which makes it all the more surprising that, in his comedy, he keeps his opinions to himself. 'It's just not my type of humour', he says. ... I would love to see Teeuwen's absurdist comedy and his politics come together and make sparks." (10/01/2008)

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Poles are caught up in serious discussion about the book "Fear: Anti-Semitism in Poland After Auschwitz" by American historian Jan Tomasz Gross. Says Marek Beylin: "You can lob many charges at 'Fear': That in describing post-war pogroms by Poles against Jews … it effectively generalizes the opposing voices into a fringe phenomenon. That it holds the Church responsible for the anti-Semitic atmosphere in Poland, and does not consider the Church's other face – many priests and nuns rescued Jews during the occupation. That it does not distinguish enough between Nazi anti-Semitism and Polish anti-Semitism – the latter was only murderous under particular circumstances and under Nazi influence. … But the book's weaknesses are of secondary importance. ... These days, without such well-sharpened theses and confrontational language as one finds in this book, there would be no broad debate about Polish anti-Semitism." (12/01/2008)

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The province of North Holland wants to launch free buses in Amsterdam and Huizen in an attempt to unblock the motorway network. The daily doubts the efficiency of such a measure. "We need to know if this situation should lead to the offer of free services. If somebody wants to get from A to B, it is logical that he pay for this. Good public transport could exist for the common good and can be financed with tax-payers' money. But this does not mean that each time it is used it should be added to the taxpayers bill. This is why passengers should pay their own reasonably-priced individual fares. Instead of offering free bus transport, motorway fees should be introduced. Thus the bill would rightly be footed by whoever chooses to use the crowded infrastructure." (14/01/2008)

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Recent days have seen heavy snowfall, leaving Bucharest in traffic chaos; the city administration did not clear the snow. Mircea Kivu writes: "Unfortunately, it became clear quite quickly that the bewitchingly snow-covered city also had to function. But it didn't. Aircraft remained grounded, no one cleared the snow. The mayor cynically explained that the snow could not be removed because no one felt it was their responsibility. And besides that, no one knew what to do with the snow. While the city services argue endlessly, the citizen was left in the lurch, with a shovel in his hand." (14/01/2008)

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