The Copenhagen daily Berlingske Tidende is relieved that the EU did not abandon its climate goals at its summit in Brussels on account of the financial crisis: "It is good news that France, Germany and Britain at the last moment decided to join Denmark in adhering to the ambitious goals. If the EU had abandoned the goals because of the financial crisis, the EU states would have made it clear that they think in the short term rather than the long term. In the case of the poor EU members in the east that might be understandable. But Italy's resistance is not, for Italy's problems are no different to those of the other wealthy countries." (17/10/2008)

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

The liberal daily The Independent criticises the demands of some EU states to ease the climate protection goals: "The European Union's credibility as a serious economic force has been restored this week by its co-ordinated manoeuvres to rescue the continent's banking sector. The task at hand now for the EU is to maintain its credibility as a serious player in the global struggle to mitigate dangerous climate change. ...The strongest argument for proceeding [with climate protection goals] is that it is in Europe's direct long-term economic interests to mitigate climate change. As the path-breaking report by [economic advisor] Sir Nicholas Stern two years ago made perfectly clear, the costs of acting are vastly outweighed by the costs of not acting. The financial turmoil and the fast-approaching recession do nothing to change that fundamental calculation. ... This crisis must not prompt a retreat from the battle against climate change." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Europe

While the EU is acting jointly to tackle the credit crunch it is getting nowhere as regards climate protection, the Dutch daily De Volkskrant writes:  "The economic crisis that has followed hot on the heels of the financial one has made the EU member states jittery. East European countries like Poland, but also Italy and Germany have no interest in placing an additional burden on their stagnating industries with more stringent regulations for carbon emissions. After all, such measures cost money and this makes it more difficult for them to compete with non-European countries. And they also cost jobs. ... In recent years Europe has cranked up the pressure on the US and China to set the same climate targets as it has. The hesitant stance of certain member states undermines the EU's urgent appeals to its neighbours. ... The step forward the EU is making in the area of finances is thus slowed down by a limping leg." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Environmental Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Bert Lanting, » Marc Peeperkorn

The liberal-left daily La Repubblica believes the EU must not hesitate when it comes to climate protection. "In a year's time the world climate summit will be taking place in Copenhagen at which the Kyoto guidlines will be laid down. Having persuaded the rest of the world in Kyoto to reduce emissions despite the opposition of America, Europe must not forfeit its leading role. It must bring a letter of accreditation to Copenhagen which allows it to force the industrial giants the United States, China and India to engage in climate protection... With their obsolete industrial systems Italy, Poland and the states of the former Eastern Bloc have formed a block to try to prevent an agreement in December. ... Yesterday's summit showed that on energy and climate protection issues Europe is divided into progressive and retrograde states - a division that applies not only to their economies but to their political visions as well. Without any hesitation and with incomprehensible pride Italy has joined the second group." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » Andrea Bonanni

The Spanish examining magistrate Baltasar Garzón has decided that his court will be responsible for investigating the murders carried out by the Franco regime during the civil war and the dictatorship that followed. Now he wants to open several graves. The daily El País comments that addressing Spain's past is long overdue: "After seventy years putting Franco on virtual trial is essential for the future of a country that has not managed to examine the misdeeds of its past as other countries have done with their traumatic experiences. The public abuse to which Garzón is being subjected shows how great the democratic deficit in Spain is. This is mainly due to the fact that [the country] did not face up to the ghosts [of its past] when the time came to do so." (17/10/2008)

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

Following allegations of corruption Bulgaria will face new EU sanctions if it fails to fulfil the conditions stipulated in the so-called ISPA (Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession) programme by November 23. The daily Dnevnik comments: "Systematic errors in the allocation of public contracts are to blame. Brussels is apparently not to be fooled by sham reforms. And that the adoption of European regulations was indeed only simulated becomes clear when you look at an example presented by Transparency International Bulgaria: the Ministry for Regional Development is refusing to allow independent observers to monitor the preparation and implementation of the official call for tenders for the last section of the Trakia motorway. Obscurity appears to be the standard working environment for Bulgarian institutions. Even though the country is facing sanctions they still don't want to shed any light on the way they work. ... Transparency can only be attained by external pressure." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Bulgaria

Austria has applied for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The Austrian daily Die Presse believes that in this case it is the means to an end rather than the end itself that counts: "The inhabitants of the Alpine republic scratch their heads and ask 'What good is that to us?' Well, the Security Council is after all the United Nations' most important body. A seat at the table with the 'big powers' means having a say on matters as weighty, for example, as war or peace. And what is more, the means is the end here. Austria's diplomatic efforts in preparing its candidacy have expanded its sphere of influence and improved its contacts in the region - which otherwise tend to be neglected. Given the increasing provincialism in all spheres of life, that alone is ample reason to cross one's fingers for a decision in Austria's favour on Friday. If you can't be successful at football it would at least be nice to know that you're popular within the international community." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Austria
All available articles from » Thomas Seifert

The business newspaper the Financial Times believes the Republican John McCain now has little chance of winning the US presidential election: "The financial crisis was always going to help the Democrats, because Mr McCain – a foreign-policy and national-security specialist – has never spoken with confidence on economics. But as the emergency unfolded he made this deficit far bigger with a series of instant manoeuvres and half-baked proposals rightly regarded as stunts. Under mounting pressure, his campaign has increasingly come to rely on unappealing, ill-tempered attacks on [his Democratic opponent] Mr Obama There is an air of desperation. The odd result is that the young, untested, inexperienced candidate in this election seems better trusted to cope with the next few difficult years than his well-known, hitherto well-liked, battle-hardened rival." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » U.S.

Russia plans to increase its defence budget to 2.4 billion roubles. Writing in the weekly Freitag, Wolfgang Kötter sees this as a Russian attempt to put itself on an equal footing with other powers internationally. "We can discern from Russian assessments of the situation that Russia feels put under pressure by NATO's eastern expansion and feels threatened more than ever by US plans to install a global missile defence shield involving Poland and the Czech Republic, and will respond accordingly: with a modernised strategic atomic trio of intercontinental missiles, submarines and long-range bombers; increases in its arsenal of conventional weapons (like tanks, heavy artillery and fighter planes); and increased expenditure on training its armed forces. Even so - mindful of the lessons it has learned from the collapse of the Soviet Union - it will not engage in an arms race with the West lest this bring about its economic ruin. What is required is an asymmetric response. Given its limited potential, deterrence no longer means equal numbers and assured capability to destroy the opponent ... Therefore the message of Operation Georgia is: We will not budge a centimeter when it comes to defending our interests as regards ex-Soviet republics and ex-allies, but otherwise we will adhere to our treaties. The London Institute for Strategic Studies seems to understand this better than others and therefore calls further expansion of the NATO alliance a strategic mistake, saying NATO must not 'turn its expansion policy into Russian roulette'." (16/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia

World Food Day, celebrated every year on October 16, prompts Gudrun Schyman, leader of the Swedish women's party Feministisk Initiativ, to call in the Swedish daily Upsala Nya Tidning for more progress on equal rights for women. "Women define poverty differently to men. Men see poverty as a personal affront, as an insult to their ego. For women it's about not having food for their children - the 'we'. These different ways of defining oneself in terms of one's behaviour towards the environment and the situation make clear in a natural way what different roles men and women play in our societies. The global pattern shows that the main responsibility for children, the old and social contacts still lies with women. Because a lack of power and resources is the root cause of poverty we need to analyse the balance of power between men and women. ... We must also examine the consequences of male predominance in the EU, which make reforms of the social welfare state necessary. For instance, there is a lack of reforms that would enable both parents to pursue a career, with the result that more and more women are choosing not to have children and that ever fewer people will have to support a growing number of older people. This will lead to a crisis in the population structure and to economic stagnation." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » Sweden, » Global
All available articles from » Gudrun Schyman

Thanks to the strength of the złoty an increasing number of Poles are coming to Germany to shop. The daily Polska welcomes this development. "There was once a stupid advertisement by a big electronics chain in which a small group of Poles were shown stealing the German shop assistants' watches and trousers while buying a television. This commercial really upset us. ...In German shops there were notices in Polish only asking customers not to take away any goods they hadn't paid for. ... And I won't repeat the jokes about stolen cars. Fortunately, that's all history now. Nowadays we write about how in the shops the other side of the Oder and the Neiße we increasingly encounter familiar words like 'dzień dobry' [good day] or 'dziękuję' [thank you]. ... It has turned out that there's no better way of changing stereotypes than economic growth. It is certainly an irony of history that the cities of the former GDR now look terrible with their empty apartment blocks and shabby shops, which the Poles are now buying for a couple of cents." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Trade, » Consumers, » Germany, » Poland
All available articles from » Marek Pielach

The daily Les Echos warns against setting too much store by state intervention in connection with the financial crisis: "In the hour of collapsing stock exchanges and the despair of the giants of capitalism, it is no longer the priority of public spending to stimulate competition between companies. [Rather it is concentrating on] fending off the most pressing problems and protecting existing actors. Having intervened less and less in the micro-economic sphere, the state has now reemerged as a fireman to put out the fire. It is saving banks, buying flats and persuading car manufacturers like Renault to postpone its plan to cut jobs. ... But we shouldn't use the crisis as an excuse to slip back too far. ... We pretend to want to punish the excesses of capitalism but if we actually did so we would risk condemning a system that had on the whole proven to be efficient. The current crisis is a profound one. It may last a while. But it should not mean that we lose our entire basis." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » David Barroux

After further cases of doping were revealed in the Tour de France, the world's most important cycle race, the German state broadcasting stations ARD and ZDF have decided they will no longer cover the event. The daily Financial Times Deutschland thinks this boycott does not go far enough. "Let's not deceive ourselves: cycling may be an endurance sport in which doping is particularly widespread. But it would be naive to assume that competitors do not cheat in other disciplines as well. If the state broadcasters want to maintain their credibility, their TV boycott should not just cover cycling events. In the coming weeks thousands of doping tests from the Olympic Games will be reexamined in Beijing, because scientists have developed an effective method for detecting new kinds of doping drugs. If cases of cheating are revealed -- which we can assume they will be -- then ARD and ZDF should stop their coverage of the Olympics as well." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Europe, » Global

Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Dutch-Moroccan State Secretary of Social Affairs and Employment in the Netherlands, will in all likelihood become the next mayor of Rotterdam. This would make him the first mayor with dual citizenship and according to the Dutch daily Trouw represents a giant step forwards in integration: "The city which six years ago under the leadership of Pim Fortuyn rose up in revolt against the country's immigration policy will now have a Moroccan-Dutch mayor. The decision of Rotterdam's city council in favour of Ahmed Aboutaleb could not have been more spectacular. Naturally, a candidate for the post of mayor should always be judged first and foremost by his leadership qualities, but this decision has a much more far-reaching significance on a par with [Barack] Obama being elected President of the United States. It propels the national debate about integration a huge step forwards."  (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Netherlands

Following a barrage of catcalls from Tunisian-born French while the French national anthem was being played at a friendly game between France and Tunisia in Paris, France's government plans to take a hard line in future incidents of this nature. The Belgian daily Le Soir advises the French government to revise its integration policy. "The real event did not take place on the pitch. France has lost; France and above all the French integration model. Nicolas Sarkozy would do well to take immediate action. These incidents are serious and the images catastrophic. They resemble those ... of cars set on fire in Seine-Saint-Denis [a Paris suburb] in the last few days. ... Of course there was no physical violence at the stadium, but the symbolic content is nonetheless the same. These incidents cannot go unanswered. But are the measures that were decided at the Elysée Palace within the space of an hour [games to be abandoned if there are catcalls] ... the right approach? These incidents ... call for far-reaching measures to bridge the deep divide that has emerged between France and its suburbs." (17/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » France, » North Africa
All available articles from » Joëlle Meskens