Hiski Haukkala of the Finnish Institute for Foreign Policy expresses the view that Russia and the EU face a difficult round of negotiations for a new partnership agreement. "The European Union has become the subject of smirks in Moscow. ... The general perception of the situation seems to be that the negotiations will be long and hard. ... The main problem between the EU and Russia at the moment appears to be mutual distrust and different ideas about the future. ... The faith in a far-reaching partnership has been lost ... and there is no sign of a new surge to replace it. There is a danger that the relationship could be shattered by political crises and the time factor. ... This is also reflected in the range of topics for a future agreement. They mainly revolve around the security of energy supplies and market access. ... Naturally, these are important issues, but they are not an adequate basis for lifting the relations between Russia and the EU to a new level." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Finnish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Energy, » Trade, » Russia, » Europe

Fraser Cameron, director of the EU-Russia Centre in Brussels, believes it is indispensable that the EU speak unanimously at the summit. "Until just a short while ago Russia tended to ignore the EU or play down its importance. The state-controlled media often disparaged its differences of opinion and inability to speak with one voice on key topics. However the opinion is slowly gaining ground in Moscow that Russia's security problems do not come from the west, but from the south and the east. Brussels and Moscow are already engaged in a dialogue that covers such various topics as Iran, the Middle East, Afghanistan, terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and climate change. ... Admittedly, one problem with the EU is that its member states have very different views of Russia. [But] it has ... many things that Russia would like. It has the largest, most attractive single market in the world, which Russia's businesses seek to access. For that reason it is essential that the EU speak with one voice in negotiating with Moscow." (26/06/2008)

» more information (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » Trade, » Corporations, » Russia, » Europe

The Estonian newspaper calls on participants at the EU-Russia summit to address topics otherwise put on the back burner: "The question of the border treaty between Estonia and Russia is going nowhere because our European partners have not bothered to put the topic on the agenda, even though the summit which begins today would be the ideal occasion. Of course many exciting things are happening in the world and deserve to be discussed. But that cannot mean that other topics must be swept under the carpet. ... The EU member states are incapable of coming up with a common foreign policy because every country follows a different strategy. When did anyone ever point out that the unresolved border issue between Russian and Estonia concerned the entire EU? The Estonian border is also the outer limit of the EU, and the lack of a border treaty is just as much the EU's problem as it is ours." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Estonian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Estonia, » Russia, » Europe
All available articles from » Martin Kala

"If Italy passes its emergency package on homeland security, it will cease to be governed by the rule of law", writes the newspaper Evenimentul Zilei. "Apparently the vote will be unobserved. The EU Council of Ministers has not said a word about the fires in Roma camps or the ransacking of stores run by Asian immigrants which took place under the eyes of the authorities in Milan, Naples and Rome. ... The European governments have enough on their hands with the constitutional crisis sparked by Ireland. Meanwhile, Italy is turning its back on the core values of the EU like freedom and tolerance, and installing a European model of restricted democracy. This serves as a source of inspiration for countries like Romania which have fragile, corrupt institutions and whose citizens lack solidarity. Prime Minister Berlusconi could serve as an example - and an alibi - for Bucharest. If the EU institutions cede to Rome, they will soon be unable to oblige any state to fulfil the political criteria [for respecting Europe's core values]." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Italy, » Europe, » Romania
All available articles from » Ioana Lupea

The writer Enzo Bettiza comments on the new role played by France in the Middle East in the context of France's upcoming EU Council presidency: "The sanction package just passed by Brussels against Tehran lends weight to Sarkozy's speech in the Knesset. ... The fact that the French EU Council presidency coincides with the end of the Bush era allows Sarkozy to cast himself as bringer of peace and key player in reviving the Middle East diplomacy of France and Europe. ... Sarkozy is already planning to fill any gaps in the Middle East left by America in the post-Bush era. ... Sarkozy's EU presidency could be a decisive period that positively affects both domestic and foreign EU policy. Sarkozy combines the real return of France with the virtual weight of Europe in this difficult region. This gives us a clear view of the future and the third phase of the EU, after its founding and Maastricht." (26/06/2008)

» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » France, » Europe, » Israel
All available articles from » Enzo Bettiza

With reference to a new report on cooperation between Finland and Estonia up to the year 2030, the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat comments on the relationship between the two countries. "The report contains two good examples of areas in which the authorities of the two countries can cooperate to create the economic infrastructure that will be crucial in the long term. ... One ... important project towards creating an economic infrastructure is the construction of an undersea tunnel connecting Helsinki and Tallinn in the Gulf of Finland. It would contribute to boosting direct transport links between the North and South and creating a common economic area. ... But the decisive factor is contact between the two peoples. ... On both sides there are still prejudices and stereotypes that must be dispelled. This means taking an interest in our counterpart [and] learning their language, culture and history. ... A common cultural basis and the affinity between the two languages form a good basis for much closer economic cooperation and integration." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Finnish)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » Estonia, » Finland

According to the newspaper La Voix du Luxembourg, the United Nations is failing to fulfil its mandate in the area of human rights: "When the United Nations buried its UN Commission on Human Rights a few years ago it buried a deeply discredited organ. In early 2006 the UN Human Rights Council was set up to replace it, and has turned out to be just a much a sham. ... It cannot be repeated often enough: the organisation of the United Nations is, as its name implies, a mosaic of nation states that are supposed to discuss plans for dealing with the world's major problems. But it is simply a huge chaos which everyone uses to pursue personal interests. ... The World Conference against Racism held in Durban in 2001 was an open expression of the very hate and intolerance it was supposed to condemn. ... It is a pity that this year's conference will not take place under the auspices of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: it would have been an excellent opportunity to pave the way for the 'summit of contempt and cynicism'." (25/06/2008)

» more information (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Global
All available articles from » Laurent Moyse

The current oil prices remind the Danish newspaper Information of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Then too, the misery was aggravated by speculation. At the time, Keynsian economic policy helped pull the US out of the crisis. That could also be the case today, the newspaper comments: "The American economic model is currently facing an equally serious threat. In just two years a society built on eternal access to fossil fuels has seen the price of crude oil double to 140 dollars a barrel. The population is groaning under the burden, and many uncomfortable decisions have to be made. ... Barack Obama rejects drilling new oil wells and lowering the gasoline tax. As a good Keynsian, he promises to reduce tax pressure on the middle class and poorer families with children. He wants the states to invest 15 billion dollars per year in a ... project that would support the development of alternative energy, citing examples from Japan, Spain and Germany. The good news is that polls show Americans prefer Barack Obama's energy policy to that of John McCain by a large margin." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Danish)
More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » Martin Burchardth

In the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, Margot Wallström, Vice President of the European Commission, calls for a higher fixed quota of women in politics, pointing to Spain, where it is prescribed by law that 40 percent of the candidates in elections must be women. She notes that of the 54 Polish MEPs only eight are women. "I am pleased to see Europe responding to this challenge. The European Women's Lobby (EWL) - which represents over 4,000 women's organisations - is beginning a campaign this autumn aimed at achieving a better balance of the sexes in the decision-making processes of the EU. In many countries there are a great number of women who are successful in business. In politics women are still under represented. ... It is time to end this male monopoly in politics. Women and men complement each other with their different knowledge and experiences. Involving women in the decision-making process is no more and no less than a step towards achieving democratic representation." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Poland, » Europe
All available articles from » Margot Wallström

The Vienna stock exchange has purchased the majority stake in the Ljubljana exchange. The owners of the Slovenian exchange, including the two state-owned banks NLB and Nova KBM, are delighted with the deal. The Slovenian daily Vecer comments: "So what does the future look like for Slovenia's only stock exchange? Officially the buyer has promised to keep its headquarters in Slovenia for at least another ten years and to invest in the development of Slovenia's capital market for at least the same period. However the fact is that promises are one thing, but the owners of the Viennese exchange expect those in Ljubljana to generate high profits. The question is how to achieve this. In the circles around those who sold the majority share the Greeks were regarded as the favourite for the purchase right up to the last moment, but in the end the Austrians reached deeper into their pockets than expected. However this is understandable because no doubt they will use the Ljubljana exchange to purchase other exchanges that have emerged in the territory that once belonged to the former Yugoslavia." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Slovenian)
More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Corporations, » Financial Markets, » Slovenia, » Austria
All available articles from » Damijan Toplak

Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer which belongs to the American company Ford, has announced it will cut 2,000 jobs. The crisis is worse than feared, the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet comments: "Petrol prices are forcing the automotive industry to build smaller, more economical cars. ... Volvo has concentrated the production of its larger cars in Torslanda and the rest of Sweden, which is why the factory in Hisingen is especially hard-hit. The low dollar means that cars built in Sweden are expensive in the USA. And unlike many competitors, Volvo has no production facilities on the other side of the Atlantic. ... It is also questionable whether the company's model range is sufficiently broad, given the stiff competition. ... It was clear that a crisis was coming, and the cuts were anticipated. Nevertheless the news came as a shock. This will not fail to weaken the company in the future, too." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Swedish)
More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Corporations, » Sweden
All available articles from » Ingvar Persson

The newspaper Delo compares Hollywood films constructed around a hero with more intellectually demanding and thought-provoking European movies, imagining a film on the EU Council presidency: "The Irish No to the referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon would be an ideal starting point. Barroso, Berlusconi, Janša, Merkel and Sarkozy meet late at night in a bar in Dublin to await the outcome of the referendum. ... The atmosphere is tense, .. then the speaker announces the negative result. The heroes exchange glances, ... and the film gathers momentum. What happy end can we give these catastrophic continental circumstances? Something has to happen quickly. But it is clear from our five heroes' faces that nothing will happen for a long time. ... The Irish said no although they really wanted to say yes. What is important is not what they said, but what they wanted to say. ... If someone else says no, we will start over again from scratch, slowly this time. But first we will go on holiday. Perhaps we will see in September that in fact nothing has happened. Or that what happened does not matter." (26/06/2008)

» full article (external link, Slovenian)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Constitution, » Film, » Cultural Policy, » Slovenia, » Europe
All available articles from » Ervin Hladnik-Milharcic

Several MEPs have called for more transparency regarding the authors and financing of online blogs, and have proposed the creation of a seal of quality for blogs. They were prompted to action by a report on the concentration and pluralism of media in the EU which calls into question the independence and reliability of blogs. The blog Kultura 2.0 by the left-wing liberal news magazine Polityka rejects the idea of compulsory transparency. "A natural counterargument is that this would automatically put blogs in a similar position to traditional mass media. For most bloggers observing such regulations would not be a problem, and some of them do not conceal their identities even now. But this regulation could mean that information that is made public in blogs precisely because of their anonymous character no longer comes to light. So while I think that a standardised system for marking blogs is not a bad idea, it should not be obligatory." (24/06/2008)

» more information (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Online media, » Media policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Mirosław Filiciak

A growing number of Czechs are buying houses beyond the Czech border in eastern Germany, the liberal daily Mlada fronta Dnes reports: "The strong [Czech] koruna and the sinking real estate prices in former East Germany are making the Czechs popular customers with Saxony's real estate agents. The Czechs are beginning to take an interest in buying houses and flats there for prices up to 50 percent lower than in their own country. ... The reasons for the low prices in Saxony lie in the region's weak economy and its high level of unemployment, which in the city of Zittau, for instance, is at over 20 percent. Many Germans have moved to states in western Germany, leaving behind empty houses and flats. ... However the majority of Czechs in question do not want to talk about these investments for fear of being branded as 'traitors' in their own country." (26/06/2008)

» more information (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Trade, » Consumers, » Germany, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Jan Sůra