The Neue Zürcher Zeitung puts the victory of the Austrian right-wing populists down to the policies of the ruling SPÖ and the ÖVP. "Voters are more predictable than government policy. They gave the two major parties, the SPÖ and the ÖVP, the treatment they fully deserved. ... One can well imagine how difficult it will be to turn this mess into a government capable of acting once more. Unless, that is, another typical Austrian-style grand coalition is the result. True, such a coalition would be led by a brand-new chancellor, Werner Faymann, the new head of the SPÖ. But since he has already gained a reputation as an agile master of the pragmatics of unscrupulous behaviour, not much good can be expected from him. Happy Austria, you can now go on muddling along." (29/09/2008)

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

The daily newspaper Delo criticises the parties of the political centre for failing to distance themselves from the arguments of the right-wing parties. "In recent times even the Social Democrats have joined the right-wing parties in their nationwide campaign against the EU. This has made one thing clear: when nothing good comes from Brussels - something the majority of Austrians believe, despite the foreign minister's claims to the contrary - it is those who proclaim 'Austrianness' to be our most precious asset who stand to gain. Heinz-Christian Strache's Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and Jörg Haider's Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) have won almost a third of the vote, and if the two politicians weren't at loggerheads one of them could even become Austrian Chancellor! ... The government, which wants Austria to become an even more successful pro-European country, will have to work hard to counter the bad habits of politicians, which have been prevalent since the Second World War." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Austria
All available articles from » Barbara Kramzar

For the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the shift to the right in Austria's elections is an expression of voters' dissatisfaction with the egoism of Austria's main parties: "It is only right that the Austrian People's Party has been the worst hit. It had fallen into a destructive mode the likes of which not even the otherwise so vengeful Social Democrats are capable. ... Wilhelm Molterer, the current vice chancellor, ... will have to step down. But the People's Party will also have to dispose of another grim figure - former chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel. ... This is the end of the myth that Schüssel so loved to propagate: that by including the right-wing extremist Jörg Haider in the government in 2000 he had destroyed Haider's effectiveness and charisma. Think again: Haider has made the Alliance for the Future of Austria, a derisory ... split-off from his old Freedom Party, into the country's fourth strongest party. Social uncertainty in one of the most prosperous countries in Europe is at the heart of the Austrian disaster." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Austria, » Europe
All available articles from » Michael Frank

The Italian daily La Repubblica describes the results of the parliamentary elections in Austria as a Viennese challenge for the European Union. "The right-wing extremists have won a resounding victory in Austria, one unprecedented both in terms of its magnitude and its political significance in the entire history of post-war Europe. ... It will be virtually impossible to form a government without or even against right-wing extremists in Vienna. The EU, which only a few years ago imposed political sanctions against the Alpine republic when Wolfgang Schüssel's conservative ÖVP party formed a coalition with the right-wing populist Jörg Haider, is now facing a challenge for which it is entirely unprepared. ... Statistically the only possibility seems to lie in another grand coalition between the Social Democrats [SPÖ] and the conservative Austrian People's Party [ÖVP]. But from a political point of view this seems impossible, on the one hand because of the poisoned relations between the two parties and on the other because of the blow they have just received from the voters. Brussels will need to come up with a convincing response ... to this new situation." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Austria, » Europe
All available articles from » Andrea Tarquini

Diena newspaper critices the parliamentary elections in Belarus as unfair, but nevertheless sees the country as opening up to some extent: "President Lukashenko is trying to come out of the international semi-isolation he entered two years ago. At that time he was 'elected' for the third time, the police brutally attacked demonstrators and leading opposition politicians wound up in prison. Following that Belarus was blacklisted in the West, and the US froze the accounts of two large companies. ... Whatever the outcome of the present election, both Lukashenko's future and that of Belarusian society are at stake. Because now it must become clear whether the state will orient itself to the East or to the West." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy
All available articles from » Askolds Rodins

In yesterday's state elections in Bavaria the ruling CSU (Christian Social Union) received 43 percent of the vote, losing its absolute majority for the first time since 1962. "Not only the Christian Democrats but the entire state is under shock", writes Corriere della Sera. "A radical political revolution is in the offing. For Chancellor Angela Merkel the 2009 federal elections will be hard to win after the debacle in Bavaria. ... Victory belongs on the one hand to the liberal FDP, which with just under eight percent of the vote has once more entered parliament. The other winner was the Free Voters, who stole many votes from the CSU. ... The CSU's chances for the 2009 European elections also look slim. The party traditionally runs alone in these elections, without the support of their sister party [the CDU, or Christian Democratic Union]. Now they are in danger of not acquiring the five percent necessary to obtain seats in parliament. As far as the Bavarian election goes, the CSU must look for a partner to form a majority. This could be the Social Democrats, the Liberals or the Free Voters. The problem is that looking for an ally is not part of the CSU's genetic make-up." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » History, » Germany
All available articles from » Danilo Taino

Today is the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Munich Agreement under which Great Britain and France allowed Adolf Hitler to annex the Sudetenland in a purported attempt to preserve peace in Europe. Czechoslovakia was excluded from the negotiations at the time and to this day regards the "Appeasement Policy" of London and Paris as a betrayal. The liberal daily Sme considers the debate about whether Prague should have resorted to military action to fend off Hitler's Germany a waste of time: "Hitler would perhaps have lost a couple of months preparing for the war. The European democracies completely underestimated the danger. Munich is a warning that one could pay for failing to react to a serious menace with the end of civilisation. ... The current debates in the Czech Republic will lead nowhere. We would be better off using the 70th anniversary of Munich as PR for the US radar station in the Czech Republic [the radar is to be part of the US missile defence shield]. You have to stand up to an aggressive power before it threatens the whole world." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » History, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Peter Schutz

The left-wing liberal newspaper Népszabadság comments on José Manuel Barroso's open letter to the next US president as well as a lecture given by EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner: "The EU's standpoint as articulated here can ... be seen as a trial balloon. If the ... Lisbon treaty came into effect there would be an EU foreign minister to represent the stance of the EU as a whole. ... Barroso ... made reference to the new wave of globalisation. ... Can Europe or the US afford to block the path to finding ... a solution to the situation? Barrosos's answer is 'no'. ... One must [also] reflect on how to integrate the [new world powers] - perhaps according to the European model - and how to restructure the international organisations. ... Whether the next US president will heed this adult European voice or continue to regard the EU 27 as a bunch of hysterical kids is another question." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » Miklós Blahó

For Trouw newspaper, Rhine - or European - capitalism is better suited to meet the challenges of the current financial crisis than the Anglo-saxon brand of capitalism. "American misconduct was the origin of the crisis. For years both the state and the citizens ran up an absurd number of debts, giving the impression that they would never have to be paid back. ... But there is another form of capitalism, known as Rhine capitalism because it is found in the countries lying along the Rhine. This type of capitalism also creates prosperity by allowing business to compete freely on markets. But it has more securities built into it. ... Shareholders have influence, but so do employees. The business culture in this form of capitalism is also geared towards profit, albeit with a more long-term perspective. ... The ties between financial markets and production have not been totally severed. But here there is a state that controls and a central bank that forbids excrescences in the banking sector. It remains to be seen whether this is the ideal form, but both the British and the Americans now recognise that there is a difference between Rhine capitalism and Anglo-Saxon capitalism. In the past both regularly pointed disparagingly to the cautious European continent as an example of how not to do things. Luckily here we have maintained our differences. Luckily here the state and the citizens have fewer debts than in the US. And luckily we now know the direction in which we must develop to create prosperity without winding up as a casino economy." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Financial Markets, » Global

British Labour MP Jon Cruddas analyses in The Guardian the changes in the Conservative Party, and calls on the left to come up with fresh answers: "Cameron has made the theme of 'broken Britain' central to his politics, saying: 'The greatest challenge of the 1970s and 1980s was economic revival; the greatest challenge in this decade and the next is social revival.' Through the brilliant construction of language and image Cameron has changed the Conservative party; retrieving some of its paternalist traditions to develop a more sophisticated modern politics. ... Despite their pro-social rhetoric, the New Conservatives will not tackle the structures of power and privilege that are distorting economic development and shaping all our destinies. They cannot bite the hand that feeds them. Two questions lie at the heart of politics over the next decade. What kind of economy do we need to develop a good society? And what kind of state will best meet the needs of individuals? The New Conservatives do not have credible answers to these questions. The future belongs to the left, but to be successful, it must confront its failings and reconnect with people." (29/09/2008)

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

It looks like the Belgian bank Fortis will be saved from collapse after the governments in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands announced plans to purchase a 49 percent stake for eleven billion euros. The daily De Standaard comments: "Is it normal that the rules no longer apply for these masters of the market? Certainly not, but there is no alternative. ... The imperative need to prevent Fortis from becoming the first domino to fall in a European financial and economic bloodbath makes this rescue plan necessary. The plan may serve to guide the Fortis ship into calmer waters but we have a long way to go before confidence in the Belgian, European and international banking system is restored. What we have witnessed with Fortis in the past few days is just one episode of a brutal purge in the financial sector. Only the joint efforts of policymakers and banks can prevent this purge from turning into a bloodbath." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Financial Markets, » Luxembourg, » Netherlands, » Belgium
All available articles from » Peter Vandermeersch

Those who visit Bulgaria are amazed to see streets full of modern cars and restaurants packed with contented people, the daily Dnevnik writes. But this is just a façade. "Bulgaria is living on credit: the newborn and those who have not even been born yet are the ones who will pay for all this. ... They will have to pay the price for their parents not having constructed energy-saving buildings, not investing in public transport and building thermal power stations instead of investing in renewable energies. ... And they will also have to pay more for electricity and heat. Those who own thermal power stations, import fuel from Russia and sell gas and electricity here will continue to be content with their incomes in the future. They will continue to corrupt the state with privatisation deals and targeted tax relief. ... The greater the need for us to integrate into the EU becomes, the further we move away from it." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Economic Policy, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Julian Popov

Several thousand people took to the streets in Barcelona this weekend to protest at Catalan language nationalism. Among other things they demanded that their children be taught in Spanish at Catalan schools. The conservative daily ABC sides with the demonstrators: "It's obvious that the policy of language normalisation has become a compulsion based on an obsession with identity and leads to discrimination against Castilian [Spanish] as well as those who want the latter to be taught at primary schools. At the demonstration, which was initiated by 20 organisations and civic initiatives as well as the People's Party and the Ciudadanos [party], there was not a single representative of [the Spanish ruling party] PSOE, which was yesterday accused of conspiring with the regional governments to violate the language law." (29/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Cultural Policy, » Spain

According to a study by Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Communities) the Greeks are Europe's most pessimistic people. The daily I Kathimerini blames the political and economic situation in the country for these statistics. "Politics also plays a role in defining the loneliness of our citizens. ... For the first time Greece no longer has the advantage of being the only country in the region that is an EU and NATO member. ... When we see how pitiful the level of direct foreign investment in our country is - in 2007 it sank to 1,9 billion euros - we know we have lost the battle. ... All this takes its toll on our citizens. And when they look for support, what do they see? A government paralysed by scandal. ... But the saddest thing is the lack of ideas. Neither the politicians nor the intellectuals can come up with any new proposals for encouraging public diaglogue." (28/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Greece
All available articles from » Nikos Konstandaras