The blog of the news magazine L'Express analyses the differences between the Czech Republic and France. "The difference between the slogan of the Czech EU Council presidency that begins on January 1, 2009 - 'Europe without barriers' - and that of its French predecessor - 'Protective Europe' - is not merely semantic. It underlines fundamental differences in how people in each country view Europe. The French need to be calmed because they harbour the greatest doubts in Europe about the advantages of globalisation. And in France doubting globalisation often means doubting Europe itself. ... The Czechs by contrast have cast off the Soviet yoke. They want to play the market game to overcome their economic deficit. The lack of full freedom of movement for workers ... has irked the Czechs, ... who are also keen to accelerate the EU enlargement process in the Balkans." (21/12/2008)

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Noëlle Lenoir

The Czech EU Council presidency will not be as bad as some observers are saying, writes the Financial Times Deutschland - despite Václav Klaus' negative stance on the EU: "Nevertheless there is reason to hope that at least the Czech government will actively commit itself to the affairs of Europe. The majority of the population is pro-European - and politicians will bear that in mind in the election year 2009. ... Above all the community has a good reputation among the young and successful. 'We are proud of our membership in the Union' you hear them say. Even the head of state will have to jump over his shadow for the Czech EU Council presidency. On February 19 Klaus will speak before the European Parliament - and be received according to parliamentary protocol. ... And when the anthem is played the Eurosceptic from Prague will stand in front of the Czech and European flags." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Czech Republic, » Europe
All available articles from » Wolfgang Proissl, » Kilian Kirchgessner

Just before it takes over the EU Council presidency the government in Prague is in the midst of its worst-ever crisis, writes the conservative daily Lidové noviny, pointing to two serious voting defeats in parliament. The left-wing opposition scuppered the government initiative to introduce fees for visits to the doctor and refused to support the extension of the operations of Czech troops abroad. The government now has other things on its mind than the EU presidency, the paper writes: "In a situation like this any prime minister has to consider stepping down. However that kind of move is not to be expected from [Prime Minister] Mirek Topolánek. All he's really fighting for now is his honour; politically he's already been defeated. The government will no doubt manage to struggle through the EU presidency, but it won't introduce any new reforms. It would be more honest for the coalition to admit now that in six months' time [after the EU presidency] it will pack its bags." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Jaroslav Plesl

The left-liberal daily The Guardian asks whether the Czech Republic would have been able to deal with the difficult situations that arose in the second half of this year. "This is not a column which has devoted many inches to praising Nicolas Sarkozy . But as a man who can take the helm of an institution in crisis, the EU has found a new leader in him. ... The price of a man like Mr Sarkozy who cuts deals can often be high. ... The long-term implications of the fine detail are troubling. But consider the alternative. What if two major international crises had happened during the presidency of a smaller member nation, like the Czech Republic, which takes over for the next six months? Mr Sarkozy proved that EU governments can act collectively and that the institution is still greater than the sum of its parts. In acting like a leader of the EU should, Mr Sarkozy provided the best possible argument for replacing the current rotating presidency with an elected president." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Europe

Belgian prime minister Yves Leterme resigned after it became known that his government had put pressure on a court to preclude a negative judgement on the sale of Fortis bank. Belgian politics is one big chaos, writes the daily Trouw: "Belgium lacks any consensus on its long-term future. ... The attempt by the Leterme government to influence judges in the Fortis case puts a finger on the wound: informal relations, often based on political loyalty, are wreaking havoc on the transparency of the Belgian state. The people have lost their confidence. Belgian politicians are good plumbers, and can weld all the elements of this complex country together in the most inventive of ways. But what Belgium now needs is a total rebuilding, a reorganisation which takes account of the population's growing dissatisfaction with the quality of Belgian politics." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Belgium

The Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter has reported in detail on the attack against a Bavarian police chief and now also on reports in the German news magazine Der Spiegel according to which the ultra right NPD party at the very least had knowledge of the attack. The Swedish paper expresses concern about the advance of right-wing extremism in Germany: "It is clear that Germany is not doing enough to counter the threat of right-wing extremism. The violent strategy of the neo-Nazis targets the police and other authorities and is a deliberate attempt to undermine democracy. And if the information in Der Spiegel magazine ... is true, the NPD has some explaining to do." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Swedish)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Germany
All available articles from » Lisa Bjurwald

Through a so-called "East partnership" the EU wants to bind six former Soviet republics closer to itself. The daily Monitor questions whether financial aid amounting to 1.5 billion euros will be able to stabilise the situation in Georgia: "The international consensus that the conduct of [President Michail] Saakashvilli is impulsive and irresponsible only multiplies the negative voices. He could also initiate processes within the country to change the political situation in Tbilisi. Although Moscow has received no support as regards the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, it has established diplomatic relations with them. In doing so it has removed the buffer zones and the sources of tension on its Caucasus border while at the same time launching an initiative to win back its political authority and influence in the instable post-Soviet region." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Nina Dulgerova

The left-liberal daily La Repubblica wonders where the current mix of economic and political crises could take Italy. "The parties have degenerated, and are no longer engaged in politics. This is the source of all ills in Italy today. The politicians do no more than manage interests, often shady ones. ... [Prime Minister] Silvio Berlusconi has ... come up with a new provocation: direct elections for the office of president. ... At present the PD (left-democrats) and the other forces of the opposition are the only ones that can keep the country within the framework of European democracy and prevent an authoritarian debacle. Two solutions emerged in the Western world in reaction to the crisis of 1929: Roosevelt's democracy on the one hand, and fascism and Nazism on the other. Things are not the same as they were back then, but the choice is. Italy has already been punished once." (21/12/2008)

» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Italy
All available articles from » Eugenio Scalfari

Columnist Dejan Kovač sees the fact that a quarter of Greece's younger generation has no hope of finding a job in the near future as one of the reasons for the current riots: "Since the social defeat of the extreme left in the 1970s anti-globalisation activists, environmentalists, anarchists and rebels have taken over Europe's streets in the battle against the system and above all against their parents. In Greece you had a situation with the police on one side and 'mummy's darlings' on the other, who were then taken back into the shelter of their parents' protection. This group will now develop into the army of the future extremist society we had forgotten amid our fears of terrorism and migrants. It's a fact that the number of jobless young university graduates in Europe is growing; in Greece it has reached 18 percent, in France and Italy it's already way beyond 20 percent. In these countries, as in Slovenia, social tensions have been ameliorated by the extended childhood system - a thoroughly comfortable lifestyle with young people still living at home with their parents well beyond the age of thirty. But now this system is collapsing along with the global financial pyramid, and father state ... is gradually killing his own children. In such a family, Christmas is not a time of joy but of uncertainty and fear." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Slovenian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social movements, » Greece
All available articles from » Dejan Kovac

"Christmas is a mirror reflecting the wishes and values of every era," writes Antoni Puigverd in the daily La Vanguardia. "In archaic times, for example, it served as a reminder of the return of the light. Celebrating the light of day is no longer important for our society: we can't even imagine what it would be like to live without electric light. But in that far-off time Christimas served to celebrate the end of the advance of darkness with the outbreak of winter." Puigverd closes with a heartening take on "the first Christmas in the crisis": "As with all things human, opposites attract. And that is just what is happening now, in this Christmas of crisis and doubt. Consumption - so they say - is an act of solidarity with producers and salespeople - a way of arresting the economic downturn. The star of the market is rusty, and the true spirit of Christmas is returning to give it back its old and veritable shine." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Religion, » History, » Weltanschauung, » Europe
All available articles from » Antoni Puigverd

Helsingin Sanomat newspaper deals with the consequences of the global economic crisis for Ukraine: "Ukraine .. is one of the European countries most badly hit by the economic crisis. Fears of mass layoffs are widespread in the industrial centres in the east of the country as the demand for steel sinks throughout the world. Millions of Ukrainians had left their homes to seek work and prosperity in other European countries. The general economic downturn is now forcing them to return home, where they will fall into abysmal poverty. The situation is not made any better by Gazprom's complaint that Ukraine owes it almost two billion euros for gas, and its menace to quadruple gas prices next year. A gas war would be bad news for the European Union, four-fifths of whose Russian gas supplies flow through Ukrainian pipelines." (22/12/2008)

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

Many young and well educated people in Romania can find no employment. The daily Romania Libera blames a misguided policy for this situation: "What could be sadder than the 'Special scholarships of the Romanian Government' programme? It entailed spending five million euros on sending a few young people abroad for training so that later they would be able to take over the administration. They signed a contract with the Romanian state in which they promised not to stay abroad ... . Ultimately it was the young people who were duped. They studied hard, got top grades, but when they returned no one employed them. The state has ... let the young down. It wasn't just a waste of money and hope. It is also a nightmare for these young people who let themselves be seduced by the promises of a new Romania. ... Many of them have been unemployed for just under a year now. Could those who took to the streets to protest against Ceausescu in 1989 have imagined that this was the fate that awaited their children?" (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe, » Global, » Romania

The daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is appalled that Russia's Kandinsky Prize endowed with 40, 000 euros in prize money is going to Alexey Beliayev-Guintovt - in its opinion a protofascist artist. Beliayev-Guintovt is a member of the neo-imperial Eurasier youth organisation: "The artist is a devout believer in the teachings of Kremlin guru Alexander Dugin, who preaches a new war ethos modelled on Genghis Khan and Ivan the Terrible. Beliayev-Guintovt's imagery is neo-academic and flirts with classical and Stalinist clichés. ... In this respect he emulates the national Bolshevik who told his comrades to stand in front of the TV and switch off the volume, close their eyes and say ten Our Fathers. When you open your eyes and turn the volume up the screen is full of devils." (22/12/2008)

» more information (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Fine Arts, » Russia

Estonian works of art are fetching ever higher prices at auctions, Postimees newspaper writes, calling on the state to invest in works by Estonian artists: "The crowds at the auctions show that Estonia has left behind the phase where people only bought cooking appliances, and has now entered the period of enthusiasm for art. Ultimately it is a question of taste whether people take home classical or modern works. The main thing is that they should buy them at all. ... But why doesn't Tallinn airport show works by our artists in its waiting hall, for example? The central station is being much more cooperative, with its exhibition of large format photos by young photographers. The state should see to it that works by young Estonian artists are shown in state offices and schools." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Estonian)
More from the press review on the subject » Exhibitions / Museums, » Public Culture, » Cultural Policy, » Estonia
All available articles from » Tiina Kolk

The Czech media recently complained about a French TV satire programme that made fun of the Czechs and their upcoming EU presidency. They're laughing at our expense, they claimed. The liberal weekly Respekt criticises this attitude and writes that instead of complaining they should put more thought into reviving the Czech sense of humour."For some time now it has been claimed that there is a special brand of Czech humour, slightly dark, slightly cynical, slightly self-ironic. A glance at the recent past, however, makes you wonder whether this is just a myth. Not a single Czech station has a satirical show in its programme, while the Germans, notorious for their lack of humour, have a number of satirical shows. If it wasn't for the Internet things would look very gloomy as far as Czech humour is concerned." (22/12/2008)

» more information (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Marek Švehla

Amsterdam is hoping to consolidate its reputation as homosexual capital with a "pink Christmas market", including a manger with lesbian Marias and gay Josephs. Homosexual writer Oscar van den Boogaard voices criticism in the Belgian daily De Standaard: "Everything is permitted, but does that mean we have to do it as well? Why must the manger be painted pink, and why do two Josephs have to gaze lovingly at each other over the Christ Child? And why do two lesbian Marias have to paw each other? Does this have anything to do with the emancipation of homosexuals? It looks more like ridiculing homosexuals to me. ... Wanton, clichéed provocation has become second nature for most homosexual movements, who are probably afraid that without it they would be superfluous. ... True emancipation is when you can be content with yourself without having to shout from rooftops." (22/12/2008)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Netherlands
All available articles from » Oscar van den Boogaard