"At first sight, today's duo comprised of the extraverted Nicolas Sarkozy and the austere Brown is potentially problematic", notes Guaillaume Goubert. "But there is already complementary between a rightwing, quite interventionist man and a leftwing, rather liberal one. If they manage to combine their qualities, they will be able to further several major causes, European defence, for example. The continent's capacity to ensure its own security will not be possible without close agreement between the two countries. London is preserving its 'special relation' with the United States while Paris is preserving its image of rebellious ally of Washington. It is between the two that we can find the road to European adulthood on the military level: neither tied to, nor opposed to the United States." (26/03/2008)

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Dominique Moïsi, a senior adviser at France's Institute for International Relations (IFRI), and Sir David Manning, the former UK ambassador to the US, note together that "summits, like familiarity, can easily breed contempt. Promises readily made are quickly forgotten. Projects announced with a flourish prove rhetorical not real. We hope this week's Franco-British summit will be different, putting work in hand that will be good for Britain and France; and good, too, for Europe and the transatlantic relationship. ... Both [Brown and Sarkozy] are unencumbered by past Franco-British differences over Iraq. Both, in their respective ways, appear fundamentally agnostic as far as Europe is concerned. Finally, both lead countries that are joined at the hip in dealing with foreign policy challenges, from Afghanistan to the Balkans and the need to define a common approach to China and to the Russia of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev." (26/03/2008)

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According to the daily, Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to London is above all aimed at "coming to terms with the past" and cannot interfere with Franco-German relations. "As was the case with his US visit last November, Sarkozy is seeking to make a new start with a partner with whom France was at odds during the war in Iraq. However, this doesn't necessarily hail the beginning of a new era in European political relations between Sarkozy and the British head of government, Gordon Brown. It's true that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Sarkozy have a more realistic view of the value of Franco-German relation than their predecessors. This was evident during the recent row over the Mediterranean Union. But it still doesn't change the fact that for the foreseeable future Great Britain will continue to adopt a more sceptical stance towards further attempts at a European settlement than Berlin or Paris." (26/03/2008)

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"Over the past few weeks, not a day has gone by without talk of a 'boycott', whether the issue be the Beijing Olympic Games, or the Paris book fair which focused on the 60th anniversary of the creation of Israel", comments the French historian Olivier Esteves. "Boycotting has always been, with the odd exception (Nazi Germany's boycott of Jewish shops), the struggle of weak against strong, the weapon of a population that can only count on its number to face up to a power judged excessive and unfair, whether political (government) or economic (multinational). Officially born in 1880 in an Ireland submitted to English rule, boycotting is historically linked to major anti-colonial struggles. ... Whether economic (Gandhi and the boycott of fabric imported from the UK), social ... or political ..., this kind of ban rests upon the dynamic of numbers." (26/03/2008)

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"Has anyone who didn't openly oppose the dictatorship before 1989 the right to adopt a superior, radical and bold stance in public today - something he failed to do before?", Romanian philosopher Andrei Plesu asks. "I would say 'yes'. ... Previous cowardliness doesn't condemn one to be a coward forever. ... A non-political life or sanctimonious lies should not deprive one of the right to be a true citizen with deep political convictions and firm views today. ... Up to this point, the situation is relatively clear, but some things remain unclear: why do embarrassing episodes in the lives of this or that person always come to light when the person in question is making a nuisance of himself in politics? Is this really clarification of the past, or just a trite act of reprisal?" (26/03/2008)

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All available articles from » Andrei Pleșu

Massimo Franco notes that the Air France-KLM bid to take over Italian airline Alitalia has suddenly become a central focus of the electoral campaign leading up to the legislative elections on April 13th and 14th. "For a long time the centre-right has magnified the Alitalia affair in order to attribute an umpteenth failure to the Prodi government. It wants to show Walter Veltroni with his back against the wall, having a hard time distinguishing himself from Prodi. ... The suspended negotiations are a blessing for Berlusconi's party, which is dragging Veltroni into Prodi's orbit and effacing the dividing line that the former mayor of Rome had high-lighted at the beginning of his electoral campaign". (26/03/2008)

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Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer (SPÖ) and Vice-Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer (ÖVP) reached an agreement for a joint work programme on Tuesday (March 25). The agreement averts the collapse of the grand coalition and subsequent new elections. Michael Völker welcomes this compromise, which was not an easy step for either side: "Yes, the SPÖ has yielded, but at least in the right direction. It has achieved something. This is a victory for Gusenbauer; he has saved his neck. ... And yes, the ÖVP has got its way, but it has also given something in return: consent for a capital gains tax is a major step for the blacks. ... It's hard to believe, but at last the grand coalition is moving on - albeit very slowly and reluctantly. At least we can safely conclude that there won't be elections this year." (26/03/2008)

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All available articles from » Michael Völker

Anatol Lieven teaches political science at Cambridge university. He explains that "Europe should be thinking now about what could happen if John McCain wins the US presidency. ... Over the years, the US has inserted itself into potential flashpoints in different parts of the world. The Republican Party is now about to put forward a natural incendiary as the man to deal with those flashpoints. ... McCain's promises, during last week's visit to London [March 19-20], to listen more to America's European allies, need to be taken with a giant pinch of salt. There is, in fact, no evidence that he would be prepared to alter any important US policy at Europe's request. ... McCain advocates attacking Iran if necessary in order to prevent it developing nuclear weapons; last year he was filmed singing "Bomb, bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boys' Barbara Ann. ... McCain suffers from more than the usual degree of US establishment hatred of Russia ... ." (26/03/2008)

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With just a few days to go before the NATO summit takes place in Bucharest, a group of six young Germans was detained and turned back at the Romanian border. They were reportedly transporting materials for protest campaigns. Alin Fumurescu comments: "When the heads of government come to Bucharest to discuss the future of NATO, air traffic is diverted; all the manholes in the city are welded closed and 'suspect' persons are detained. A policemen said of the six Germans: 'We found anti-NATO, anti-globalisation and anti-violence materials in their car.' They should be relieved, but instead they're saying: 'Why are you anarchists trying to spoil our meeting with your anti-globalisation demo? ... Not that I myself would take to the streets in protest, but as an average citizen I am appalled by the thought that people are not being allowed to protest and are being deprived of this right - in the name of a totalitarian democracy." (26/03/2008)

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The UK's devolved government was created following simple majority referendum in Wales and Scotland in September 1997. In 1999, the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly were established. The Scottish daily reflects: "If we accept that devolution is a process rather than an event, it is essential to review that process periodically and make necessary adjustments to the constitutional settlement.The tenth anniversary is the right moment to re-examine devolution within the context of the relationship between the constituent parts of the United Kingdom. It should be seen as an integral part of the wider constitutional debate launched yesterday by ... Jack Straw [the justice secretary presented a constitutional renewal bill]." (26/03/2008)

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Ulrich Clauß comments on the announcement by the head of sport of a French television station that he would not cover the Beijing Olympic Games if images or reports are subject to censorship: "The question of using a media boycott as a weapon against Chinese authoritarianism is just as explosive for those in power in China as the dispute over a total boycott of the games by individual national teams. This is because the Olympic spectacle depends on the presence of the global media for its entire financing. ... It would be nice to hear similarly blunt words from Germany's public television broadcasters. Perhaps such an action could even be coordinated at an international level. After all, coordinated action is the usual approach in the purchase of broadcasting rights. Germany's public broadcasters should have learned their lesson after all their dithering regarding the professional cycling doping scandals and formulate clear conditions this time." (26/03/2008)

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Thierry Jobin is delighted with the release on Swiss screens of the documentary 'Heimatklänge', a documentary directed by Stefan Schwietert who has taken an interest in the traditional Swiss song called yelping. "The opening shots of a mountainous landscape accompanied by a youtse make one fear the worst. 'Heimatklänge' does indeed start off like an umpteenth representation of typical Swissness on film ... . But not so fast! [this documentary] swings reluctant viewers round as if tossing a pancake. Even the most sceptical, the most reticent, the most allergic to yodelling, the most repulsed by flag-flying, will be carried away by the miracle of 'Heimatklänge'. (...) What is the sound of Switzerland? What is the sound of our lives? Stefan Schwietert makes an experimental subject out of these questions that the average person usually only poses in moments of conflict with neighbours. He sticks images on music, creating his own expression, producing meaning." (26/03/2008)

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Hungary is currently celebrating its Polish-Hungarian friendship week, which is the occasion of many events and ceremonies commemorating the two countries' turbulent joint history with shared kings, saints and revolutionaries. Gábor Miklós takes a look at the current state of the friendship between Poland and Hungary. "Today we can visit each other without having to go through passport control, but do we do it? Do we send our children to holiday camps in Poland? Are we familiar with the books, films and intellectual debates in Poland? Because such debates about society, religion or the status of Central Europe still take place there even today. Polish society is deeply divided politically, and provincialism is a well-known phenomenon there, too, but even so it has an exciting intellectual atmosphere. I fear that there is less understanding for each other in both countries today. And when we talk of friendship, we dig up old stories that the current generation finds difficult to understand. Such a pity, really." (26/03/2008)

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Sweden successfully implemented its "du reform" forty years ago. Now a debate has erupted in Estonia about whether using the informal 'sina' for addressing people should become official practice, like in Sweden. Ignar Fjuk endorses this move: "We felt a strong bond with each other when we stood side by side during the singing revolution. Back then we were just one big, happy family in which all members could say 'sina' to each other. I feel somewhat uncomfortable using the formal 'teie' to mark a certain distance during a friendly conversation. Regardless of their age, sex or status, I prefer to look people in the eye and ask them directly using 'sina': 'How are you doing? How can I help you? I don't like using the formal 'teie'." (26/03/2008)

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Dutch brewery giant Heineken has acquired several breweries in northern Bohemia, making it the third-largest supplier of beer in the Czech Republic, which has a long tradition of beer making. Ivan Hoffman comments: "Is Heineken buying these breweries only to close them? Will the company start brewing its own beer in the Czech Republic or will it just stick its own labels on Czech beer? ... As long as people remain loyal to their regional brands they'll continue to be supplied with these brands - even if most of them conceal a European beer nowadays, because the latter are more economical to brew and mature more quickly than Czech beer. In the end, it won't be Heineken but the Czech beer drinker who decides whether Czech beer made by small breweries and brewed according to traditional methods survives." (26/03/2008)

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