Cutting off gas supplies to Ukraine sends a worrying message to all Europe, writes the liberal weekly Respekt. "But the current dispute also shows how in the past few months the economic situation has turned against Russia, its head of government Vladimir Putin and the powerful Gazprom company. ... At a time when the entire Russian economy is confronting huge problems, Gazprom too has slipped into a deep crisis. Right up until the end of the year Gazprom had great ambitions for large-scale cooperation and even climbed to third place behind the American giants Exxon Mobile and General Electric. In the meantime its shares have plunged by 75 percent and the company has debts amounting to 50 billion dollars. This is an unprecedented situation. None of the Western energy suppliers has reached the stage where it requires government aid in the current crisis." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Ukraine, » Russia, » Europe
All available articles from » Jiří Sobota

Gas reserves in Bulgaria will last just one week if consumption rises and the gas dispute between Moscow and Kiev is not brought to a successful conclusion, according to energy provider Bulgargaz. Dnevnik newspaper writes: "The controversy between Gazprom and Ukraine has brought the deplorable state in Bulgaria to light for the umpteenth time. Twenty years after the fall of communism the state is still as dependent on the Russian gas tap as it was in the days of the Bulgarian-Russian friendship, which [former Bulgarian premier and Comintern general secretary] Georgi Dimitrov called as vital as sun and air. This statement seems prophetic with regard to energy dependency, because even today Bulgaria is clearly the country which is the most dependent on Russia, not only compared with the former socialist states but also to the other Balkan countries." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » Russia, » Bulgaria

The liberal Italian business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore criticises the EU's wait-and-see attitude in the gas dispute. "The days to come will show how clever this strategy is. In view of the cold wave sweeping over Europe it is unavoidable that the problem between Moscow and Kiev should have people worried. ... The bigger countries have proved successful with their attitude of seeing the trial of strength between Russia and Ukraine for the time being as a trade, and not a political, dispute. The Poles and Lithuanians who want to reprimand Russia remain out in the cold. And the decision of the Czech presidency not to convene a top level EU summit (it was merely the 27 countries' deputy ambassadors who met) underlines the fact that people are trying to view the problem as a technical one, to prevent it from escalating into a political confrontation with Moscow." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » Ukraine, » Russia, » Europe
All available articles from » Enrico Rivio

In the business daily Világgazdaság historian and Russia expert Ágnes Gereben writes that the current gas dispute differs from previous conflicts: "In contrast to the Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute three years ago this time Moscow acted neither unexpectedly nor has it used drastic means to start this dispute, but rather carefully planned it. It did seem strange when on November 20 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev publicly ordered Gazprom boss Alexei Miller to immediately collect the billions of dollars owed it by its Ukrainian partner Naftogaz. ... But this huge Russian propaganda campaign which has branded Naftogaz and Ukraine's political elite as untrustworthy, irresponsible and even criminal is driven not only by geopolitical motivations. The price of gas which has been kept artificially low in the former Soviet republics - and in Russia too - simply cannot be maintained." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Energy, » Ukraine, » Russia
All available articles from » Ágnes Gereben

The Times writes that Moscow's behaviour in the gas conflict damages Russia's credibility as Europe's energy supplier: "Time and again, Vladimir Putin has used his country's resources to punish or blackmail those former Soviet republics, especially Georgia, that dare to challenge Moscow's hegemony. For all the emollient smiles of Aleksandr Medvedev, the head of Gazprom, as he tours Western capitals, the EU is not fooled by protestations of purely commercial relations. Like the Arabs' oil embargo of 1973, Russia's periodic confrontations have forced the West to seek other sources and types of energy as swiftly as possible. Moscow is naturally not obliged to sell its gas below market price. But turning off the taps turns off not only supplies but trust, reliability and long-term credibility." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Ukraine, » Russia, » Europe, » Georgian Republic

In an opinion piece for the daily Večer, political scientist and Middle East expert Dr Primož Šterbenc criticises the pro-Israeli stance of the US and EU in the Gaza conflict. "Israel is attacking the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian people, ... as well as Hamas with its Kalashnikovs with ultra-modern weapons. The abuse of the occupied Palestinian people continues. This can only lead to the strengthening of the Palestinian religious identity and radical tendencies. The US persists with its policy of unconditional support for Israel and it's simply shocking that despite its tradition of upholding international law the EU has been incapable of criticising and punishing the Israeli politicians. ... It is a paradox to see how the great disparity between the Israeli military strength and that of Hamas and between the numbers of victims [on the two sides] is deliberately being overlooked." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Europe, » U.S., » Middle East, » Israel
All available articles from » Primož Šterbenc

People leave their mark when they head certain institutions, the daily El País writes: "This is also the case with the European Union, where the presidency of certain countries has had a revitalising effect and thus opened up the possibility for the Union to take on a key role in international politics and contribute to relevant initiatives in the present economic crisis. But since assuming his responsibilities our Czech [President Václav Klaus] appears to have adopted the opposite position. He represents a painful waste of time in a semester that has begun with grave problems like the war of the Israelis in the Gaza Strip, the catastrophes in Iraq and Afghanistan, the frauds on Wall Street and the vulnerability of energy supplies." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » France, » Czech Republic, » Europe
All available articles from » Miguel Ángel Aguilar

On Monday in Athens a police officer was shot by unidentified persons using a Kalashnikov. Only a couple of days previously shots were aimed at a police bus and a regional train. Now there are fears that the "Revolutionary Struggle" terrorist organisation could be behind the attacks. The daily Ta Nea asks what will be the outcome of this new wave of terror. "What will be the next step in this tango of violence? It doesn't take much imagination to see that a new episode in the 'terrorism' series has begun - with different features, of course. ... In the 1980s professional attacks were made against certain targets, de facto without any support from the young generation. Today this seems to have changed. ... We are facing a scattered form of violence that is all the more dangerous because it is blind. ... In the 1980s and 1990s the political system and bipartisanship created stability. Today there is widespread contempt for institutions and politics ... which is only compounded by the economic crisis." (05/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Greece
All available articles from » Pandelis Kapsis

Rotterdam is the first major European city to elect a mayor from an immigrant background, Moroccan-born Ahmed Aboutaleb. At his swearing-in ceremony the right-wing populist politician Marco Pastors handed the new mayor an empty envelope addressed to the king of Morocco. In it Aboutaleb was meant to send back his Moroccan passport. Trouw newspaper disapproves: "Why must Aboutaleb be asked to send his passport back on his first day in office as if in so doing he could give back his Moroccan citizenship? He can't, and Pastors knows that very well. ... For Pastors holding two passports signifies a lack of loyalty to the Netherlands. Even if Pastors believes Aboutaleb has served the Netherlands in an exemplary fashion for 35 years, he still thinks the new mayor will only be a real Dutchman once he's torn up his other passport. So the empty envelope is a motion of no confidence. The first immigrant mayor does not deserve this kind of welcome." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Netherlands

The Malta Independent writes that accusations levelled at Libya that it violates the rights of immigrants also apply to Malta: "There have been several allegations made in investigatory reports that point the finger at Libya for various forms of abuse committed by both the state and the populace. The first allegation is that Libya will simply repatriate immigrants who come from danger areas, such as Eritrea, Somalia, the Congo and Sudan, sending them to their death or torture. Others claim that many migrants who arrive in Libya are subjected to torture by the local police when interrogated. There are also claims that Libyan people engage in racial attacks on these migrants. ... It is logical. How do you stop immigrants arriving in Malta? You stop them setting off from North Africa. Yet we cannot, on the one hand condone the non-departure of these people (and the ensuing fall out) and on the other hand then say that we should not allow the Libyans to send them back. Are we telling the Libyan authorities that we don't want the migrants and that they should hold onto them? ... We cannot have our cake and eat it too." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Migration, » Malta, » Europe, » Libya

Nearly 20 years after the Berlin Wall came down Marcus Jauer reflects on the current role of the archives containing the files of the Ministry of State Security of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). "The State Security did not collect biographies, it gathered information that was supposed to give it an idea of the general mood in the country. It went to ever greater trouble to do this, and in view of the mass of files that it accumulated it appears today to have been an extremely efficient state-run enterprise. But even this didn't change the outcome. In the end it produced only paper, not security. These documents now make the entire state look like a monstrous experiment on how people behave under dictatorship and imprisonment. Perhaps for those for whom the past has been relegated to the past, this may prove to be the very value of these documents. Now that the cities have been modernised, the factories pulled down and the connections broken they constitute the most authentic piece of the GDR left for posterity. They could easily be used to reconstruct the entire country, but it would only be the country as the secret service saw it." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » History, » Science / Research, » Germany
All available articles from » Marcus Jauer

The conflict between the Vatican and the Italian state in ethical questions such as assisted suicide, artificial insemination and abortion shows no sign of abating. The left-liberal newspaper La Repubblica writes that the Church is intervening massively in political life and facing its members with difficult questions of conscience: "We all know that life is a gift. Who the giver is, whether an asteroid or a divine creator, remains a matter of personal conviction. But this gift once given is the property of those who receive it, and it is presumptuous to try to regulate it according to the will of any putative giver. ... But there is a terrain on which we may fight together for a life that is worth living, and worth nurturing. Let's start for example with Cardinal Tettamanzi (who has staunchly supported the poor of Milan with money, blankets and food). ... His example suggests to the Church an alternative to the overheated ideological machinery of the Vatican. ... The other side [the Church], as proponent of the shameful campaign for life at all costs, has opted for the tried and proven solution of putting pressure on politicians who fight for the privilege of speaking in the name of the last moral authority which remains after the collapse of ideology." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Italy
All available articles from » Adriano Prosperi

The conservative daily Rzeczpospolita comments on a recent survey on the euro according to which an increasing number of Poles favour conversion to the single currency: "This is good news for the PO [the liberal ruling party] and bad news for the PiS [the nationalist conservative opposition], which in the past months has turned against the euro. ... This is a sign that the Poles are less emotionally tied to the zloty than the British to their pound. For the British the euro is a symbol of a bureaucratic and hostile Europe from which they need to isolate themselves. But for the majority of Poles the euro is a symbol of a modern Europe with which we are united through friendship ... . This is why so many of us are prepared to give up our national currency for one that will finally make us 'real Europeans'." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Poland, » Europe
All available articles from » Marek Magierowski

The business newspaper Les Echos analyses the effects of the economic crisis in Italy: "One crisis follows the next. ... Italy has officially been in a recession since November, and now the economic crisis is being exacerbated by a growing number of political scandals. ... Like the rest of Europe, the peninsula was gripped by anxiety at the start of January. ... Of course Italians will be able to rely on their savings, their families and labour flexibility. But the poverty we are already seeing will spread to [even] more families. As [Prime Minister] Silvio Berlusconi cannot open the sluices of state expenditure, he exhorts his fellow citizens to consume. A fine idea, but one which won't bring the country very far." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Italy
All available articles from » Marie-Laure Cittanova

The presentation of carmaker Mitsubishi's most recent electric model prompts the daily Expressen to forecast a bright future for the electric car: "Perhaps the year 2009 will see a breakthrough for the electric car, or perhaps not. ... But following the debates about the disadvantages of biofuels, which could disrupt global food supplies, it is not only Swedish politicians who should find it easier to take a stance on the electric car. ... The city of Stockholm has a vision of becoming the world's leading electric-car city. There are plans to install charging stations in cooperation with energy companies. But much more could be done, for example free parking for electric cars or a deadline after which only electric cars are authorised in those places with the highest levels of exhaust fume pollution. Provided the Stockholm politicians are really serious about their vision." (05/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Consumers, » Sweden

The Romanian Minister for the Environment Attila Korodi recently explained that it would not be feasible to ban free plastic bags in Europe. The daily Gandul comments: "Goods pass on; people pass on; plastic bags stay. These days they contaminate the soil, water and air ... Communism taught me that there is something wrong with things that are free for all. Capitalism teaches me to forget this. ... Free bags are a simple and effective trick that seduces people - without them being aware of it - to buy more than they need, so that you end up throwing away over a quarter of the food you buy because it's gone off. ... If throwing away a plastic bag, which happens every 20 minutes on average, is supposed to be a guarantee for respecting human rights ... then the Statue of Liberty should not be holding a torch but a white plastic bag." (06/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Public Culture, » Europe, » Romania
All available articles from » Cristian Tudor Popescu