Le Quotidien newspaper calls for changes to the security databases: "Even before the regulations were introduced, several timid voices had been raised against the government's project. ... Now public refusal is coming not only from the opposition, but from all quarters: unions, employers, politicians. The president of French employers is asking for explanations and expressing concerns, while the leader of the [French confederation of trade unions] CGT is denouncing the 'surveillance society'. Not to mention the minister of defence or the secretary of state for human rights, who also want to put their word in. ... And not without reason. It is clear that something like the Cristina database must exist for the fight against terror. But not without protection. And the same goes for Edvige, because the administration cannot be left to act as it pleases. ... Yesterday the government tried to allay dissatisfaction by setting a temporal limit on minors' files. But the text still needs work to avoid giving the impression that we are returning to the sad era of 1940. Saint Hedwig, enlighten them and pray for them!" (10/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Luxembourg

The daily El País sees the Edvige database as a symbol of the increased monitoring of citizens by the state: "An Orwellian fantasy or simply the updating of police records using digital technology? Whatever the case, Edvige has whipped up a political and social storm in France. ... Edvige ... has given Sarkozy, returning from his summer holidays, a nasty surprise - particularly now that his performance at international diplomatic negotiations has somewhat improved his low popularity ratings. Now he has even instructed his minister of the interior Michèle Alliot-Marie to have the decree revised. ... Whether the decree is altered or not, the affair in France has demonstrated the ever increasing supervision and monitoring of citizens in democratic societies. It is justified with the argument that is being used to improve security, but it nevertheless constitutes a grave violation of civil liberties." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » France

Le Monde questions the very need for Edvige database: "The damage caused by Edvige is all the more serious in that it pertains to the president's preferred policy area: security. As a pragmatist, the president has learned to concede on certain matters. ... It remains to be seen what guarantees the government is ready to offer those ... who are disturbed by the database. The inroads into privacy are not negligible - whether you are talking about the storage of personal data of important politicians, business people or the like - which the president finds superfluous - or about storing inappropriate information, for example on people's sex lives or health. ... For the time being, however, the philosophy behind Edvige is not being called into question. Information is supposed to be gathered on those people or organisations who 'could disrupt the public order'. That formulation is too broad and too vague to avoid raising concern." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » France

A second referendum on the EU treaty in Ireland would pose a huge threat to the EU. The simple act of holding a second referendum would intensify the uneasiness about a Union that has distanced itself too much from the people, the Austrian daily Die Presse writes: "The second blow could be fatal. It is the same with democracy as with Russian roulette: the more often you turn the wheel, the greater the risk. ... It is entirely possible that the Irish will say No again. ... The chasm between the elite EU project and its citizens would grow even deeper. For reasons of domestic policy the EU governments would have even less leeway to push forward sensible community activities like a common environmental, immigration and security policy. Ignoring the will of a nation one time too many would pave the way for small-minded anti-EU populism. Not even the treaty - which in and of itself is a worthy project - is worth taking this kind of risk." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Ireland
All available articles from » Wolfgang Böhm

Survivors of the Srebrenica massacre in which around 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed by Bosnian Serb militias have failed in their suit against the Dutch government in a district court in The Hague. Dutch UN soldiers had failed to stop the massacre at the time. The daily Süddeutsche Zeitung finds the judgement severe, but equitable: "The Dutch Blue Helmets were under UN command at the time, and by virtue of its charter the UN is immune from prosecution. As bitter as the judgement sounds, it is consistent. If it finds that the helpless Dutch are responsible, then every peace mission would become a serious legal and financial risk. And that would mean someone who helps is worse off than someone who does nothing. It would prompt the UN member states to stop sending soldiers to crisis areas. That does not make Europe's political failure in Srebrenica any less unsettling, however. Where were the Germans, French and British in the summer of 1995? They are just as responsible for the massacre as the overtaxed Dutch." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » History, » Netherlands, » Europe

The daily To Ethnos comments on the political developments in Serbia following the resignation of the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, Tomislav Nikolić. "Nikolić tried in the past weeks to position his party behind the pro-Western government by supporting the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). ... Šešelj (the president of the party who is serving a prison sentence in The Hague) was infuriated by Nikolić's decision and demanded his dismissal. ... Šešelj has won this round, but ... without Nikolić, because the latter will no doubt leave the Radical Party and perhaps found a new one. Basically, the front of resistance [against the EU] no longer exists." (10/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Serbia
All available articles from » Giorgos Delastik

Sami Moisio, an academic at the University of London, analyses the British Labour Party's change in policy and its international repercussions. "When Gordon Brown became prime minister over a year ago ... economic growth was at around three percent per year and the unemployment rate went down. ... In a year, everything has changed. Support for the Labour Party has collapsed. ... His theses [about the reorientation of the Labour Party] ... have an immense impact on European policy. A number of Europe's social democratic parties had adopted [Brown's predecessor Tony] Blair's legacy of a centre-left concept. ... Blair's 'third way' policy was guided by the principle that the economic cake must be baked before it can be shared out. ... The task of the Blair party was not to prevent the rich getting richer but to take care of those with the lowest incomes. ... The British Labour Party is [now] asking itself whether the state should increasingly resort to political measures to regulate the market or curb inequality. ... The Finns have a tradition of emulating British policies very closely. All three major parties apply Blair's model. ... It will be interesting to observe the Finnish response to the change in Labour's policy." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » United Kingdom, » Finland

On the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11, British historian Timothy Garton Ash describes in the daily La Repubblica how the world has changed since then: "What has proved false is the neo-conservative claim that this single threat defines the whole pattern of world politics in our time. Non-western powers challenge the economic dominance of the west. ... Russia and China are not just great powers challenging the west. They also represent alternative versions of authoritarian capitalism, or capitalist authoritarianism. Here's the biggest potential ideological competitor to liberal democratic capitalism since the end of communism. Radical Islamism may appeal to millions of Muslims, but it cannot reach beyond the umma of the faithful except by conversion. ... More important, it cannot plausibly claim to be associated with economic, technological and cultural modernity. By contrast, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, like the skyscrapers of Shanghai, show us how authoritarian capitalism already stakes that claim. ... In China, we glimpse the prospect of a modernity which is both non-western and illiberal. ... Historically, both modernity and liberalism have come from the west. But the future of freedom now depends on the possibility of new versions of modernity evolving." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Philosophy, » Global
All available articles from » Timothy Garton Ash

The daily Luxemburger Wort reflects on the connection between material prosperity and happiness. "It would be foolish to believe that those who have enough to eat, a warm home, are healthy and can read - who are basically on the sunny side of life - are the happiest. If there was a direct correlation between prosperity and happiness, Luxembourg, with the highest per capita income in the world, would be an island of happy people. But the happiest people in the world live neither in Luxembourg nor in any other industrialised nation, but in Bangladesh. This, at any rate, was the conclusion of a survey conducted by Robert Worcester, professor at the renowned London School of Economics, which caused a stir a few years ago because it called into question the Western world's belief that prosperity automatically leads to happiness. Now happiness, contentedness and inner joy are subjective terms which are interpreted differently from person to person. ... It is no doubt true that the Asian peoples, with their resigned acceptance of life's circumstances which is often ticked off as fatalism, have easier access to inner peace than is generally possible to achieve in the West. Frugality appears to be a virtue encountered more frequently in poor countries than in richer ones. ... The following proverb helps us to understand the true nature of the relationship between money and happiness: 'He who thinks money is the most important thing in life was never in love or seriously ill." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Philosophy, » Weltanschauung, » Global
All available articles from » Pierre Leyer

The European Commission has warned that Europe is facing a recession. The national newspaper NRC Handelsblad calls for restraint in spending: "Each country makes its own policies and one cannot expect a common approach to emerge. ... At any rate, there has been little mention of discipline: the so-called Stability Pact which imposes a maximum deficit of three percent on EU countries was considerably relaxed ... during the last economic downturn. Many countries failed to make the most of the good economic years that now lie behind us and sort out their budgets. ... Countries like Germany and the Netherlands are better off, but in many other countries the room for manoeuvre is limited. Actively stimulating the economy is not a good idea because the impact of such measures is limited and getting the timing right is difficult. ... Since the economy is now headed for a downturn we must cut costs, otherwise the deficits will increase. That would be a pity and also detrimental." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe

Poland's liberal right-wing prime minister Donald Tusk yesterday announced a target date for the introduction of the euro: 2011. The daily Gazeta Wyborcza welcomes the announcement. "Poland meets most of the criteria for conversion to the European currency. If we can improve our inflation rate and keep the budget in line we should be able to reach this goal. The long-term consequences will be positive in two respects. It will make Poland more attractive for foreign investors, which sooner or later will trigger the next wave of economic growth. Additionally, 'Euro 2011' can be seen as an incentive for speeding up the development of many institutions, accelerating modernisation and improving economic policy. So get to work, Mr Prime Minister!" (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Poland
All available articles from » Witold Gadomski

"In a so far one-off appeal to the government in Prague, over 400 companies have called for a date to be fixed for the introduction of the euro," the conservative daily Lidové noviny reports. "One in four businesses currently active in the Czech Republic are allegedly considering leaving the country. Behind this trend is this year's hike in the Czech currency's exchange rates, which has led to shrinking profits. ... This is the first time in recent history that the chambers of commerce are taking joint coordinated action. ... So far the government has remained unyielding on the subject of the euro. ... Even the Polish government's announcement yesterday that it hopes to join the Eurozone in 2011 is unlikely to accelerate the conversion to the euro in the Czech Republic." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Corporations, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » František Bouc

In the newly published protocol of the World Heritage Committee session in Quebec city, UNESCO criticises Britain's inadequate treatment of its World Heritage Sites. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comments: "While other politicians, among them Prime Minister Gordon Brown and opposition leader David Cameron, gather Brownie points by spending their holidays at home, the representative of British tourism [Minister of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Margaret Hodge] freely admits she prefers going to Italy. As strong as the desire for political honesty and integrity may be, there may well be a bit of hypocrisy there - the parliamentary special committee for her portfolio has just criticised the government's uncoordinated approach to the tourist industry. ... Britain's attitude to its own World Cultural Heritage has met with widespread disapproval. ... To appease critics the British government points to a new landmark protection act. But ultimately the credit crisis may well be far more effective. Some skyscrapers planned to go up near the Tower of London have been put on ice or even scrapped altogether due to the insecure economic climate." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Cultural Policy, » United Kingdom

British artist Damien Hirst has announced he will have more than two hundred of his artworks auctioned off directly to circumvent art dealers and gallery owners. Art critic Robert Hughes has now sharply criticised Hirst's work in a television programme. Janet Street-Porter defends the artist in The Independent: "It is easy to stop getting enthusiastic [about Hirst's work], to start sneering like Mr Hughes. But over the last 16 years Damien Hirst has not just made art that infuriates, stimulates and provokes us. He is single-handedly halted the dead hand of American cultural imperialism. Sure, he has an army of assistants. So did Andy Warhol. Sure, Damien's work is ludicrously expensive. But it is only worth what collectors will pay for it. ... Damien, the Chapman brothers and Tracey Emin have crossed from being successes within the art world to household names who make the national and international news. ... Great art is what you want it to be, and I want it to be provocative. No one does that better than Damien." (11/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fine Arts, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Janet Street-Porter