According to the daily, "new eating habits in developing countries, for the most part imported from developed countries, largely explain the explosion of demand, and thus the price tensions. But it's not the only reason. Competition from biofuels is another essential one. The United States, so generous with the World Food Program, confirmed its desire to double the acreage currently devoted to growing fuel crops. Faced with the American driver, the Haitian peasant can't compete. It's the case in Europe. Not only does Europe want to develop biofuels, but, during international negotiations, it maintains protectionist policies that have for so long destabilised third world agriculture and hampered the fight against poverty." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Agriculture, » Global

Two of the major EU states have proposed entirely different schemes for combating the global food crisis. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke out in favour of a new trade agreement and trade facilitations for the world's poorest countries, while the French Minister of Agriculture Michel Barnier calls for more protectionism and subsidies for EU farmers. The daily comments: "The solution is not a 'pure market economy' but the combination of what the European Commission calls 'liberalisation of production' with intelligent political measures aimed at protecting the environment, the climate and the many poor and hungry of this world. The EU must work hard for a plan like this. It requires a sensible and coordinated European response - and an end to the feuding between London and Paris." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Trade, » Agriculture, » Global
All available articles from » Annegrethe Rasmussen

Columnist Victor Mallet argues in the financial daily that the worldwide food crisis is not due to a lack of supply - for the time being - but rather to interruptions in free trade. "The immediate cause of this crisis is not - perhaps surprisingly - a shortage of food. The problem is the sudden reluctance of traditional exporters to sell their surpluses. As with credit providers in the seized-up credit markets, each producer is hoarding its own supply in case of hard times at home, because it suspects trading partners will do the same. Trust in the efficiency and liquidity of the market has collapsed. Farm protectionism is not new. ... International farm trade has nevertheless managed to satisfactorily for decades redistribute surpluses of staple foods. The current seizures in the markets are therefore a cause for general alarm." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Trade, » Agriculture, » Global
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Gerd Appenzeller sees the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development presented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as confirmation that the Western world is protecting its prosperity at the cost of less developed countries: "To put it simply, the accusation directed in particular at the US, Canada, Australia and Western Europe is that these states - the richest in the world - are treating the rest of the planet like colonies. ... By imposing their supposedly superior economic and agrarian system on the Third World - albeit with the best intentions - and exploiting their economic power, the industrialised nations are ruining these countries. There are plenty of straightforward examples. The European Union is subsidising the construction of increasingly large fishing fleets and purchasing all the fishing rights for Africa's coasts. As a result, Portuguese and Spanish trawlers are taking over the traditional fishing grounds of, for example, the Senegalese, so the latter, totally impoverished, are forced to sail the coasts of the Canary Islands on dilapidated fishing boats in the hope of finding a better future there." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Trade, » Agriculture, » Global
All available articles from » Gerd Appenzeller

Historian Jacques Rupnik talks to Armand Gosu about intellectuals in Eastern Europe. "In the 19th century the intellectuals performed the function of the political elite because these states were not sovereign, but under foreign rule. In those times intellectuals played an important role in the rediscovery of national identity - they acted as a kind of spokesman for the nation. This was also true under the communist system, when society lacked freedom. The life of intellectuals thus took on a new dimension unknown to intellectuals in the West. ... Not long ago, the Czech Literárny Noviny published an uncensored debate between Václav Havel und Milan Kundera about 1968 that took place just before the Russian invasion. This was a very high-level discussion, encompassing historical visions and values. Today no one writes texts raising questions like: Where are we now? What is our destiny? Our destiny has been decided: we are in NATO and we are moving from the sublime to the ridiculous." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » History, » Czech Republic, » Romania
All available articles from » Jacques Rupnik, » Armand Gosu

Promoting democracy abroad should be Europe's project for the next 50 years, writes columnist Timothy Garton Ash. "Not imposing a single model of democracy by military means and not 'exporting' democracy, but supporting it, by peaceful means. ... Our diversity will be a strength. Imagine that in a country such as Egypt or Morocco the myriad European players in democracy promotion would agree a set of priorities... . Local anti-democratic rulers would hate it, of course, but in their agreements with the EU they have already signed up to the principles of respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. And what could they do about it? If they cut off three heads, there would still be 97 left. We need, in short, a benign European hydra for democracy: a modern version of an ancient Greek mythological monster to promote a modern version of ancient Greece's finest invention." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » Europe
All available articles from » Timothy Garton Ash

Spanish writer José Angel Mañas asks whether "the cultural context in which the young people in this new century are evolving is actually catastrophic. For me, the answer is no. It's possible that a certain conception of culture as an eminently educated object has entered a decadent phase and that literature is one of the principal victims of this phenomenon. However, let us affirm that we are living at the dawning of an informational and cultural moment practically unprecedented in the history of humanity; that the incredible creativity that we find on the Internet, to only cite the principal place of communication in our world, can only demand respect. With all that is going on, it seems to me that it's impossible to say that we're living in a dark age. We aren't witnessing a moment of cultural recession as was the case during the Middle Ages, after the Graeco-Latin splendour." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Global
All available articles from » José Angel Mañas

Giovanni Valentini reflects on the disappearance of the radical left after the Italian legislative elections, and more specifically to that of the Green Party, which no longer has a single elected representative. "The political parabola of the Italian Greens lasted 20 years. It started in 1987 when they campaigned for the first time at the national level and won their first seat in Parliament and ended with the 'tsunami' of the last elections... . Victims of the electoral stampede, but also of their own errors in trying to avoid extinction, the Greens took refuge under the Rainbow banner [an environmental-Marxist alliance] which, in turn, sought to survive with the support of the 'reds', their former rivals and historical defenders of workers, employment, factories and thus, pollution... . The Greens can and must start again on a new foundation, constructing an 'environmental pact', a transversal alliance, capable of confronting the new majority." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Italy
All available articles from » Giovanni Valentini

Since the elections in Italy, the Communists are no longer represented in either of the two chambers of the Italian parliament. Gustav Seibt doesn't find this lamentable from a political point of view but considers it a loss in cultural terms. "Because that's what communism was in Italy: a culture in itself. There was the 'Feste dell' Unita' every summer, where people didn't just sit on long benches outdoors and eat and drink and sing and dance; there was also the bookstall selling coffee-table books published by the Einaudi publishing house, and some writer or actor or director would climb onto the stage and discuss the situation. Almost everything that Italy contributed to post-war culture, including at an international level, had its origins in this communist culture, which represented an alternative world in its country of origin." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Italy
All available articles from » Gustav Seibt

The Irish daily commends Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's appointment of a female-majority cabinet, writing that it constitutes a big step forward, not only for Spain, but for Europe. "Mr Zapatero thus confirmed his reputation as the most daring political leader in Europe. He has proclaimed himself not only an anti-machoist but a feminist... . These changes force society to confront inherited prejudices about gender and political priorities. Spain thereby joins the ranks of the mainly Nordic states which have so far successfully encouraged greater public participation by women with such positive legislation. Predictably these appointments have attracted hostile comment from traditionalist right-wing military, political and media figures; but Spain has travelled a long way towards gender equality, reflecting the country's vigorous modernity and social transformation." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Spain, » Europe

For political scientist Antoine Basbous, director of the Observatory of Arab countries, the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM) won't lead to the democratisation of the countries to the south and east of the Sea. "Let's not delude ourselves, [these countries] don't resemble in any way the eastern European countries that were liberated from the USSR and adopted the liberal a 'ready-made' democratic model. Despite the communist yoke, civil societies in the east aspired to western values. ... The two shores [of the Mediterranean] don't always hold the same cultural and religious values, and their leaders don't nurture the same political destinies. ... The principal preoccupation of these leaders isn't integration in the democratic club, but enshrining their regimes. ... [They] would like to 'gather' European financial contributions without having to change the daily lives of their population, nor reform their governments." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Africa, » Southern Europe
All available articles from » Antoine Basbous

Michael Moravec notes that the current high rate of inflation is tarnishing the euro's image as a guarantee for stable prices, "Particularly when you compare it with the British pound, the Swiss franc, or the Swedish or Norwegian crown. While the euro zone registered 3.6 percent inflation for March over a year ago, the British and Swiss got away lightly with a comparatively low 2.5 percent. According to economists, there is no simple explanation; several factors have contributed to this situation. But one major factor is that countries without the euro are able to adjust their financial policies to meet the needs of their economies more accurately. The British have effectively used higher interest rates to combat inflation. The European Central Bank, on the other hand, must take 15 countries into account when defining its financial policy. ... The countries of the euro zone are currently paying the price of having a single currency, and it's higher than expected because almost all of them have either postponed or rejected the necessary structural and financial reforms." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Michael Moravec

The reform of Poland's public broadcasting corporation TVP is currently under discussion in Poland. In a first step, parliament has abolished TV licence fees for pensioners. Film critic Krzysztof Kłopotowski appeals to TVP to ban commercials on channel one of Polish television. "At least one station, perhaps TVP 1, should be freed entirely of the burden of commercials and the race for higher viewer ratings. The number of viewers may go down, but at least the quality would improve. Viewers would be able to exert intellectual influence on those around them, bolstered by a decent public television station. Other stations could then remain commercial, like many other state companies. What's important is that the supervisory board and the managers of TVP show the nation and society their determination to preserve a great cultural and educational institution." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Audiovisual Media, » Media policy, » Poland
All available articles from » Krzysztof Kłopotowski

Columnist Claude Javeau deplores the nostalgic tone of the many commemorations organised for the 50th anniversary of the Universal Exhibition in Brussels. "When the Expo opened [in 1958], Belgium was still autonomous and possessed an immense colony - whose independence wasn't on the agenda. ... What are we really commemorating when we celebrate Expo '58? Isn't it a Belgium that was still itself? Papa's Belgium, over which reined a gloomy King, with a capital that had just emerged from sleepy provincial status? We just getting over the War; we were starting to taste the fruits offered by the Welfare state; marriages lasted, students were serious, athletes weren't the life of party, Brigitte Bardot incarnated French debauchery, and Mao's China hardly interested anyone. A sort of Belle Époque, which was also a twilight." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Exhibitions / Museums, » History, » Belgium
All available articles from » Claude Javeau

Many Roma living in Bulgaria earn a living by transporting goods with horse-drawn carts. However, Samuil Dimitrov reports that to do this they need a driving license which is difficult to obtain. "The first requirement for obtaining a license for driving a horse-drawn cart is that you own a cart. Then you need a horse, donkey or other draught animal. Then you have to fit the rear of the cart with symmetrical reflectors. Moreover, it's important to wear a special apron when driving. If you don't wear one they take away your license and you have to pay a fine. There are specific grazing zones set aside for the horses, but the animals must be accompanied by their owners at all times there. The final requirement for participating in public transport is that the cart is painted yellow and has a registration number. Only then will they issue a license with all the data and a photo of the driver." (17/04/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Samuil Dimitrow